Geographic Distribution
The tree, and the wood which it yields, commonly known and sold as Monkeypod, although Rain Tree is also a contender for most common name, is known to the botanical community as Albizia saman, which has supplanted the now obsolete name Samanea saman. However, remain aware of this outdated name as it is still quite commonly used in reference to this tree and its wood.
A. saman is native to an area stretching from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, into Guatemala and southward through Central America as far south as Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Some sources claim that A. saman is especially common in Venezuela.
However, for multiple reasons, A. saman became one of the most widely distributed ornamental, and useful, trees in the world. It was carried into the Caribbean first and from there to Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, especially to Hawai’i, and ultimately can now be found anywhere in the tropical region which bands the center of the globe. In fact, A. saman is the most commonly planted tree in the entire nation of Singapore with over 20,000 known.
Monkeypod Tree
Unfortunately, some of the same characteristics that made A. saman popular, i.e. fast growth throughout a variety of tropical soils and seed consumption and dispersion by wildlife, has allowed it to become widely invasive throughout the tropics where it can readily outcompete slower growing native species.
The common name of Monkeypod is derived from an even older botanical genus classification Pithecellobium, which means “monkey earring” in Greek, presumably in reference to the seed pods. Monkeypod is generally considered a common name of Hawai’ian derivation while elsewhere A. saman is more widely known as “Raintree” because the leaves fold inward at night, or under heavy cloud cover which allows the rain to fall through to the ground below, which keeps grass green and growing right up to the trunk, an especially valued characteristic in a park setting.
Within the United States, A. saman is widely planted in Hawai’i, but also in Florida, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Other United States territories, including Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa should be capable of supporting the species, but I cannot document the presence of A. saman in these additional areas with certainty. My sample of A. saman originated as an ornamental tree in Florida.
For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to A. saman from this point forward as Monkeypod.
General Characteristics
Monkeypod heartwood tends to be brown when freshly cut but this color softens and turns more golden-brown upon exposure to air and light. Unlike the situation with many colorful tropical hardwoods, this color shift tends to make the wood more beautiful instead of less so. Sometimes there are streaks of even darker brown color present in the heartwood.
The sapwood of Monkeypod is yellow to white in color. The sapwood is usually thin and quite clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Pieces of Monkeypod that include both heartwood and sapwood can be especially striking because of the sharp contrasts in color between the two.
Sometimes pieces of Monkeypod will appear that feature highly figured curly or otherwise wild and unusual grain patterns. Pieces with these wild grain patterns will command a much higher price than unfigured wood.
Monkeypod Bowl Interior
As noted above, the grain of Monkeypod is usually straight but it can be interlocked or wavy on occasion.
The texture of Monkeypod is notably medium to coarse with medium to large open pores, which might require filling if a perfectly smooth and flat finish is required.