Suar Wood

Suar Wood, Saman Wood, Trembesi Wood, Samanea Saman, Albizia Saman

Klasifikasi
Kingdom: Plantae
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta
Super Divisi: Spermatophyta
Divisi: Magnoliophyta
Kelas: Magnoliopsida
Sub Kelas: Rosidae
Ordo: Fabales
Famili: Fabaceae
Genus: Albizia
Spesies: Albizia procera (Roxb.) Benth


Samanea saman (rain tree) Fabaceae (legume family)
filinganga (Northern Marianas); gouannegoul, saman (French); gumorni spanis (Yap); kasia kula, mohemohe (Tonga);
marmar (New Guinea); ‘ohai (Hawai‘i); rain tree, monkey pod, saman (English); tamalini, tamaligi (Samoa); trongkonmames
(Guam); vaivai ni vavalangi, sirsa (Fiji)
George W. Staples and Craig R. Elevitch

In brief
Distribution Native to northern South America, and now naturalized throughout the tropics. Size Typically reaches 15–25 m (50–80 ft) tall with a broad
crown typically 30 m (100 ft) in diameter.Habitat Grows best in the lowlands from sea level to 300m (1000 ft) with rainfall 600–3000 mm (24–120 in).Vegetation Naturally occurs on savannahs (grasslands)and in deciduous forests and riparian corridors.Soils Adapts to a wide range of soil types and pH levels.Growth rate Moderately fast growing with growth ratesof 0.75–1.5 m/yr (2.5–5 ft/yr) per year.
Main agroforestry uses Silvopasture, crop shade.
Main products Fodder, timber.Urban forestry Well suited for large public areas such asparks, school grounds, etc., and large homesteads.Yields A 5-year-old tree can produce 550 kg (1210 lb) of green forage; timber yields of 10–25 m3/ha/yr (1715–4290
bf/ha/yr) under a 10–15 year rotation.Intercropping Interplanted as a shade tree with coffee,cacao, and other crops.
Invasive potential Considered invasive in Fiji and Vanuatu,elsewhere in the Pacific it is naturalized but rarely considered to be problematic.

Non-preferred scientific names
Albizia saman (Jacquin) F. Mueller
Enterolobium saman (Jacquin) Prain ex King
Inga salutaris Kunth.
Inga saman (Jacquin) Willd
Mimosa saman Jacquin
Pithecellobium saman (Jacquin) Bentham
Common names
Pacific islands
filinganga (Northern Marianas)
gouannegoul, saman (French)
gumorni spanis (Yap)
kasia kula, mohemohe (Tonga)
marmar (New Guinea)
‘ohai (Hawai‘i)
rain tree, monkey pod, saman (English)
tamalini, tamaligi (Samoa)
trongkon-mames (Guam)
vaivai ni vavalangi, sirsa (Fiji)
Other regions
acacia, palo de China (Philippines)
algarrobo, algarrobo del país, carreto negro, delmonte, dormilón,
guannegoul, samán (Spanish)
gouannegoul, saman (French)


Albizia saman is known under a wide range of common names, such as Saman, Rain Tree or Monkey Pod (see also below). It is often placed in the genus Samanea, which by yet other authors is subsumed in Albizia entirely. This legume tree is native to the mainland neotropics, from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil, but has been widely introduced to South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific islands, including Hawaiʻi. Saman is a wide-canopied tree with a large symmetrical crown. It usually reaches a height of 25 metres (82 ft) and a diameter of 40 metres (130 ft)[1]. The leaves fold in rainy weather and in the evening, hence the name Rain Tree and 5 o'clock Tree (Pukul Lima) in Malay. Several lineages of this tree are available e.g. with reddish pink and creamish golden colored flowers.

During his 1799-1804 travels in the Americas, Alexander von Humboldt encountered a giant Saman tree near Maracay (Venezuela). He measured the circumference of the parasol-shaped crown at 576 ft (about 180.8 m[2]), its diameter at around 190 ft (about 59.6 m), on a trunk at 9 ft (about 2.8 m) in diameter and reaching just 60 ft (nearly 19 m) in height. Humboldt mentioned that the tree was reported to have changed little since the Spanish colonization of Venezuela; he estimated the Saman to be as old as the famous Canary Islands Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco) of Icod de los Vinos on Tenerife.

The tree, called Samán del Guère (transcribed Zamang del Guayre by von Humboldt) still stands today and is a Venezuelan national treasure. Just like the dragon tree on Tenerife, the age of the Saman in Venezuela is rather indeterminate. As von Humboldt's report makes clear, according to local tradition it would be older than 500 years today, which is rather outstanding by the genus' standards. It is certain however than the tree is quite more than 200 years old today. But it is one exceptional individual; even the well-learned von Humboldt could not believe it was actually the same species as the Saman trees he knew from the greenhouses at Schönbrunn Castle
Rain Tree is a Mahogany Grain Wood
Rain Tree wood, Kayu, Suwar (or Suar), is a form of Mahogany and is a much higher quality of wood to carve with than cheaper types of wood like Kayu Pule, Kayu Sandat, or Kayu Cempaka. The Scientific name for Suwar/Suar wood is Samanea Saman and it is commonly known in the English as Rain Tree wood. Another common name for the Rain Tree is Monkeypod relating to the fact that it has seed pods which are edible.

Preserve Your Rain Tree Wood Art
Originally native to South America, Rain Tree wood has spread throughout the tropics for over a century. It is a fast growing tree and developes into a thick mature trunk with an interlocking and crisscrossing grain which helps it from cracking in dry climates with lower levels of humidity. Even though Rain Tree wood grain is superior for its weather resistant properties you should also apply a light-weight oil, like Murphy's Oil, about once or twice per year or more, and even more often if you are going to place your artwork in direct sunlight. Oiling keeps the wood conditioned so as to minimize any warping that may occur over time.

Swiss Family Robinson Rain Tree House
For those who that can remember the Swiss Family Robinson movie originally released in 1960 had a family tree house made out of an actual Rain Tree. The Swiss Family Robinson's Rain Tree was 120 feet tall with a canopy 240 feet in diameter. This should give you a sense of the massive size that Rain Trees can reach on an island or in a tropical forest. The rain tree also has the very unique plant behavior of folding up its leafs anytime there is rain and it also folds up about an hour before sunset and then opens its leaves again an hour after sunrise.