Samanea saman
(Jacq.) Merr.
Raintree
no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子
(c) Claudia Mejía Morales, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Claudia Mejía Morales
(c) James Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by James Bailey
What to Eat
Edible parts: Pod pulp, Leaves, Fruit, Seeds - spice
Children eat the pods, which contain a brownish, sticky, liquorice-like sweet pulp. The pulp is also made into a lemon-like fruit drink. The pods are more or less straight with conspicuously thickened edges, measuring 12–20cm long, 1–2cm wide, and 1.2cm thick. The tree also yields a gum of inferior quality that can serve as a poor substitute for gum arabic. It is noted as a staple crop for balanced carbohydrates in carbon farming contexts.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It is native to tropical America. Common and widely planted as a shade tree. Trees grow almost wild in some areas and are planted as a street tree in coastal towns. It suits river-side locations in dry areas. It should grow up to about 1800 m altitude in the equatorial tropics. It grows best in the tropical lowlands from sea level to 300 m altitude and with a rainfall of 600-3000 mm per year. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
Africa, Andamans, Angola, Antigua-Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marianas, Marquesas, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Northeastern India, North America, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rotuma, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South America*, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tobago, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela*, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yap, Zambia,
How to Identify
A large tree with a widely spreading crown. It grows up to 25 m tall. It can grow to 60 m high. It has a short thick trunk. The branches spread out horizontally and can be 30 m long. The bark is a distinctive yellow. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves have leaflets which are evenly in two rows. They are feather like. There are 8 to 12 leaflets in a row. There are 12 to 16 in the upper row. The leaves fold inwards at night and during rain. The leaves can be 35 cm long. The secondary division of the leaf can be 20 cm long and the leaflets 3 cm by 2 cm. The flowers are at the ends of branches and pink. They occur in round heads about 5 cm across. They are on long stalks 10-12 cm long. The fruit are pods. The pods are straight and somewhat fleshy. The pods can be 20 cm long by 2 cm across. The pods are slightly flattened.
How to Grow
Trees are grown from seeds. They can also be grown from cuttings. Seeds need to put into hot water for 3 minutes then cooled and allowed to soak for 24 hours before sowing. Seed can be stored for 6 months.
Propagation: Seed stores well at ambient temperatures. Fresh, still-moist seed usually germinates without pre-treatment. Once the seedcoat has dried and hardened, it must be nicked carefully (without damaging the seed) or larger batches soaked in hot water for 3 minutes, followed by soaking in warm water for 12–24 hours before sowing. Treated seed typically germinates in 6–8 days under optimal conditions. Cuttings can also be used.
Medicinal Uses
A decoction of the inner bark and fresh leaves is used to treat diarrhoea. Small sections of bark are brewed to relieve stomach-ache. A crude aqueous or alcoholic leaf extract has shown an inhibiting effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The alkaloid fraction of the leaves acts on both the central and peripheral nervous systems. An infusion of the leaves is used as a laxative. A decoction of the fruit is used as a CNS sedative. The seeds are chewed to treat a sore throat.
Other Uses
The bark is an abundant source of gums and resins, including a low-grade gum usable as a substitute for gum arabic. Ground and fermented pods can be converted to alcohol as an energy source, with yields of up to 1,150 litres of absolute alcohol per hectare per year. The tree is widely used as a street tree and in public open spaces, and is suited to xerophytic conditions. In agroforestry, it provides shade for crops including cocoa, coffee, tea, and peppers; its dome-shaped crown gives dense shade even at low sun angles, and the leaves fold up during rain to allow more moisture to reach plants below. The heartwood is brown when freshly cut, turning golden-brown on exposure; the sapwood is cream-coloured. The wood is light, soft but strong, and very durable, taking a high polish though often cross-grained, making it easier to work green. It shrinks so little that carvings can be made from green wood without risk of splitting or warping as it dries. Highly prized for carvings, furniture, and panelling — demand in Hawaii is high enough that local supply is supplemented by imports from Indonesia and the Philippines. It is also used in boat building, interior trim, boxes, veneer, plywood, and general construction. The wood produces 5,200–5,600 kcal/kg when burned and the tree regrows vigorously after lopping or pollarding, making it a valuable firewood and charcoal source, though where a strong carving market exists it is considered too valuable for fuel.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Samanea saman is a semi-deciduous species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, now in the Mimosoid clade and is native to Central and South America. It is often placed in the genus Samanea, which by yet other authors is subsumed in Albizia entirely. Its range extends from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil, but it has been widely introduced to South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii. It is a well-known tree, rivaled perhaps only by lebbeck and pink siris among its genus. It is well represented in many languages and has numerous local names in its native range; common English names include saman, rain tree and monkeypod (see also § Names below). In Cambodia it is colloquially known as the Chankiri Tree (can be written ចន្ទគិរី or ចន្ទ៍គីរី).
Production
It is a quick growing tree.
Other Information
The pod pulp is especially enjoyed by children. It is cultivated.
Notes
There is only one Samanea species. Also as Mimosaceae. It is the flower emblem of Venezuela. Possibly now Albizia saman. Also as Mimosaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Akasya, Akasya, Belati siris, Bhalimora, Bodu gas, Campano, Carabeli, Cenizaro, Chaam-churii, Cong, Cow tamarind, Filiganga, French tamarind, Genixaro, Gouannegoul, Gumorni spanis, Hujan-hujan, Jahmjuree, Kasia kula, Kayu hujan, Khirish, Marmar, Mohemohe, Monkey Pod, 'ohai, Pukul lima, Reethigas, Saman, Sirsa, Tamaligi, Tamalini, Thinbaw-kokko, Tikpikung, Trong-kon-mames, Vaivai ni vavalangi
References (62)
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