Maackia


Maackia

 

a genus of plants of the family Leguminosae. They are deciduous trees with alternate odd-pinnate leaves. The flowers are pealike, numerous, and gathered in dense racemes, which sometimes branch at the base. The pods are dark brown. There are five or six species in East Asia, and one species in the USSR—M. amurensis. The trees are up to 15-20 m tall, with dense crowns. The leaves are up to 30 cm long, with a silky down which gives the tree a silvery appearance in the spring. The young shoots are also covered with this fuzz. The flowers are white or cream-colored. Maackia grows mainly along river valleys in the Primor’e and Amur regions; outside the USSR, it is found in Korea and northeastern China. The tree is grown as an ornamental and is also used to strengthen ravines and slopes. The trunk of the tree has bright yellow sapwood and a dark brown center; it is strong and resistant to rotting and is used to make veneer, bentwood furniture, and parquet.

REFERENCE

Usenko, N. V. Derev’ia, kustarniki i liany Dal’nego Vostoka. Khabarovsk, 1969.