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Samanea saman

(Jacq.) Merr. (1916)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Samanea

‘ōhai, ‘ohai [ohai], monkeypod, pū ‘ohai [pu ohai], rain tree

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees up to 25 m tall, with a broad spreading crown, bark gray, rough, furrowed into thin plates.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Blades with (2)4–7 pairs of pinnae, leaflets 2–10 pairs per pinna; leaflets 1.5–6 cm long, 0.7–4 cm wide, asymmetrical, obliquely ovate to subrhombic. Upper surfaces glossy and glabrous; lower surfaces puberulent to velvety puberulent. Leaflet margins entire. Leaflets with a diagonal midrib. Petioles with nectary glands. Stipules deciduous, lanceolate.

Flowers: Flowers ca. 12–14 mm long, the central one larger, in solitary heads 2–2.5 cm in diameter (excl. stamens), in pedunculate, axillary, corymbose heads, dimorphic within each head, a central larger flower 7–8-merous, surrounded by smaller perfect flowers. Flowers bisexual (perfect), mimosaceous. Calyx green, 6.5–7.5 mm long, lobed. Corolla funnelform, 5-lobed, pink with green lobes 10–13 mm long. Stamens up to 30 mm long; filaments connate up to ½ their length, exserted. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Pods black or dark brown; sausage–shaped and succulent when young; sutures thickened; 15–20 cm long; 1.5–2.5 cm wide; irregularly constricted; flat; irregularly dehiscent; mesocarp moderately to well–developed; succulent when young; endocarp forming septate envelopes around each seed. Seeds transversely arranged; ca. 9 mm long and 5 mm in diameter; slightly laterally flattened; with a central areole and pleurogram ca. 7 mm long and 3 mm wide; seeds several; with a distinct; horseshoe–shaped areole with a pleurogram.

Ploidy: 2n = 26

Habitat: Disturbed areas.

Elevation Range: 15–300 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Ethnobotanical Images

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Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Only found in cultivation
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Birds

Pollinators

Notes

  • 15-300 m
  • Description digitized by Olivia Kraus
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • introduced prior to 1871
  • probably on all main islands, but documented only on oahu and hawaii

Bibliography

Name Published In: J. Washington Acad. Sci. 6: 47 (1916)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:696 (O, H); Lorence et al. 1995:37 (K); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2002:8 (WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:298 (KEY), 324 (DESCR); Oppenheimer 2007:24 (Mo)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Samanea saman Honolulu, Old Naval Station Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 73 Oahu BISH 1919-11-17
2 Samanea saman Honolulu, Kalihi St. near Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Hume, E.P. Oahu BISH 1931-06-10
3 Samanea saman Honolulu, Manoa Valley Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1937-04-06
4 Samanea saman Kapiolani Park, near enterance to zoo Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. Oahu BISH 1952-06-08
5 Samanea saman University of Hawaii Campus at Manoa Preserved_Specimen Krajina, V.J. Oahu BISH 1962-04-28
6 Samanea saman Honolulu, King St., grounds of McKinley High School Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1948-04-18
7 Samanea saman Honolulu, near Salt Lake Preserved_Specimen Meebold, A. Oahu BISH 1932-06-01
8 Samanea saman U.H. Campus Preserved_Specimen Krajina, V.J. Oahu BISH 1962-04-28
9 Samanea saman Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1937-04-01
10 Samanea saman Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Oahu BISH 1937-01-01
11 Samanea saman W Maui, Lahaina District, Kahana Valley Naturalized along valley bottom. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 40004 Maui BISH 2000-04-05
12 Samanea saman Oahu Preserved_Specimen Oahu BISH
13 Samanea saman Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park exotic vegetation, coastal and inland trail Preserved_Specimen Higashino, P.K. 10255 Hawaii BISH 1984-04-07
14 Samanea saman Honolulu, Bishop Museum, Atherton Halau full sun Preserved_Specimen Spreading tree of 12 m. Corolla rose. Stamens white grading into rose distally Lau, J. 1083 Oahu BISH 1985-06-13
15 Samanea saman Honolulu, Bishop Museum campus, parking lot on North side of campus near the Pauahi building Cultivated. Preserved_Specimen Tree, 6-7 m height, leaves compound, flowers tufted heads with conspicuous long pink stamens, pods thick, seeds surrounded by sticky. Kennedy, B. 48 Oahu BISH 1996-04-17
16 Samanea saman Honolulu, Tantalus Drive Preserved_Specimen Wide spreading tree 50', 3' diam. Little Jr., E.L. 31006 Oahu BISH 1976-08-05
17 Samanea saman In the lower part of Halepuaa Forest Reserve in teh Puna District Found infrequently scattered throughtout the lower part of teh reserve. Preserved_Specimen Many of the trees reach heights of over 60 ft. Clarke, G. 79261 Hawaii BISH 1979-05-10
18 Samanea saman Kawela Sparingly naturalized along the S shore among Java Plum, Kiawe, and mangrove thickets. Preserved_Specimen Trees to 8m tall. Oppenheimer, H.L. 120636 Molokai BISH 2006-12-10
19 Samanea saman Honolulu, Bishop Museum campus, parking lot on N side of campus near the Natural Pauahi building Preserved_Specimen Tree, 6-7 m ht, lvs compound, fls tufted heads w/conspicuous long pink stamens, pods thick, seeds surrounded by sticky brown pulp. Kennedy, B. 48 Oahu BISH 1996-04-17
20 Samanea saman UH Manoa HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Oahu 1/9/2020
21 Samanea saman Honolulu: Manoa Valley; University of Hawaii Manoa Campus; # 43 on map Preserved_Specimen flowers pink Herbst, D.R. 546 Oahu BISH 1967-08-26
22 Samanea saman Kona, coffee plantation HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 4/25/2009
23 Samanea saman lower part of halepuaa Forest Reserve in the Puna District Preserved_Specimen Many of these trees reach height of over 60 ft. Clarke, G. 79.206 Hawaii BISH 1979-03-07
24 Samanea saman Hilo, park HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 6/5/2007
25 Samanea saman UH Manoa Campus HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Oahu 3/28/2002
26 Samanea saman Kapiolani HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Oahu 11/1/2002
27 Samanea saman Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Flowers with pink corolla and stamens, tree spreading, umbrella shape Fosberg, F.R. 14201 Oahu BISH 1937-07-08
28 Samanea saman W Maui, Lahaina District, Kahana Valley Naturalized along valley bottom. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 40004 Maui BISH 2000-04-05
29 Samanea saman Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 10683 Oahu BISH 1936-06-04
30 Samanea saman Kalalau Valley Preserved_Specimen Legume Davis, J. Kauai BISH 1984-07-18
31 Samanea saman Kamuela, Kamuela Hardwoods HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 1/23/2020
32 Samanea saman Honolulu, Kalihi St Preserved_Specimen 25 ft. Grant, M.L. 7107 Oahu BISH 1934-07-18
33 Samanea saman Kawainui Marsh, along Quarry Road Preserved_Specimen Smith, L.B. 136 Oahu BISH 1976-05-24
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