noun
silk tree; mimosa tree
A deciduous tree native to Asia, known for its pink, silky flowers and leaves that close at night. Often called 'mimosa' in English, though botanically it is Albizia julibrissin.
公園に大きなネムノキが植えてある。
A large silk tree is planted in the park.
ネムノキの花は夏に咲く。
The silk tree flowers bloom in summer.
Rarely used kanji form.
The name ネムノキ (nemunoki) comes from 眠る (nemuru, 'to sleep') + 木 (ki, 'tree'), referring to the way the leaves fold together at night. The kanji 合歓 (gōkan) are ateji chosen for their auspicious meaning ('together joy'), not for phonetic reasons.