The Rain Tree, Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. 1916, also called Monkeypod, is a big tropical tree native to Central- and South America. A “normal” Rain Tree reaches a height of about 25 meters and its very large crown canopies up to 40 meters.

While Alexander von Humboldt (1769 – 1859), a German geographer, naturalist and explorer, traveled throughout the tropical Americas during the years 1799-1804, he discovered a huge rain tree, near Maracay, Venezuela, with a crown of about 60 meters across. This enormous rain tree, in Venezuela called Samán del Guère, which is still alive, became a Venezuelan national treasure. The name rain tree has been given in India, most likely because of the moisture on the ground under the tree, caused by excretions of cicadas, which inhabit the tree. Another attempted explanation is the nature of the rain tree leaves. Like other plants from the subfamily Mimosoideae Samanea saman leaves curl up when it’s raining, so the rain drops can fall nearly without hindrance to the ground. Normally trunks get a diameter of about 1,20 meter. The biggest rain tree seems to grow in Trinidad, with a trunk diameter of 2,40 meters, a height of 45 meters and a crown of 60 meters across. Flowers get a size of about 6 cm across. Other apparently accepted botanical names for the rain tree are: Albizia saman, Pithecellobium saman
and Samanea tubulosa.

© Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Rain Tree (Samanea saman)

© Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Rain Tree (Samanea saman)