Samanea saman

Samanea saman
The Hitachi Tree at the Moanalua Gardens, Hawaii

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Samanea
Species:
S. saman
Binomial name
Samanea saman
Synonyms
List
    • Acacia propinqua A.Rich.
    • Albizia saman (Jacq.) F.Muell.
    • Albizzia saman (Jacq.) Merr.
    • Calliandra saman (Jacq.) Griseb.
    • Enterolobium saman (Jacq.) Prain
    • Feuilleea saman (Jacq.) Kuntze
    • Inga cinerea Willd.
    • Inga salutaris Kunth
    • Inga saman (Jacq.) Willd.
    • Mimosa pubifera Poir.
    • Mimosa saman Jacq.
    • Pithecellobium cinereum Benth.
    • Pithecellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.
    • Pithecolobium saman (Jacq.) Benth. [Spelling variant]
    • Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr.
    • Zygia saman (Jacq.) A.Lyons

Samanea saman is a 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).