Monticello Gardens

Common name: Mimosa, Silk Tree

Family: Fabaceae (Bean)

Distribution: Asia (Iran to Japan)

Hardiness: USDA Zone 6

Life form: Deciduous tree

Usage: Ornamental

Comments: The mimosa or silk tree, which is native from Iran to Japan, was being cultivated in Europe by the middle of the 18th century when Filippo Albizzi, a Florentine nobleman, introduced it into Tuscany in 1749. The tree soon spread in cultivation throughout the warmer regions of Europe and André Michaux brought seeds to America from France in 1785. He grew the tree in his nursery near Charleston, South Carolina and shared seeds with William Bartram of Philadelphia. Jefferson acquired seeds from both Bartram and William Hamilton, and he sowed 32 seeds in an earthen trough at Monticello in 1809. This short-lived tree has become widely naturalized in the South and can be invasive.