Albizia julibrissin                                              Photo Fiona Sunquist ©

With its fragrant pink puffball flowers and light-green filigree leaves Mimosa is a popular ornamental plant in Florida. As a tree, mimosa has a spreading canopy and can grow to be 25-30 feet in height.

Despite its delicate appearance, mimosa has all the characteristics of a successful invader—it is heat and drought tolerant and can grow practically anywhere including through cracks in concrete. Not surprisingly this invasive exotic is often seen along Florida’s roadsides, on vacant lots and on canal banks.

Mimosa trees flower from May to July and the blossoms attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. After the flowers die, 6-inch long dark brown bean-like seedpods appear, and these pods remain on the tree even after the leaves have fallen.

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