Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_samanea_saman

Monkeypod

Samanea saman

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About Monkeypod

Monkeypod (Samanea saman) is an introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Its checklist classification is naturalized; current extent is unassessed. Native to tropical America and widely planted as a shade tree. Animal consumption of sweet pod pulp can disperse hard seeds, and roots form nitrogen-fixing symbioses. Bishop Museum and Smithsonian document naturalized Kauaʻi occurrence; a 2015 plan separately documents persistent planted stands.

Kauaʻi evidence

Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 302 plants under Samanea saman across 1 entries dated 1945. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).

Names and classification

Scientific name: Samanea saman
Common names: Monkeypod · Rain tree
Other names: Samanea saman · Monkeypod · Rain tree · Albizia saman
Record type: Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence: Recorded on Kauaʻi
Origin: Introduced
Conservation status: Not yet assessed
Evidence date: 2026-10-06
Evidence limits: Present island-wide abundance, occupied habitat, recruitment, population trend, and ecological effects have not been quantified; no invasive severity is inferred from checklist or forestry status.

Habitat and ecology

Habitats: Not yet assessed
Food and resource needs: Not yet assessed
Reproduction: Insect-visited flower heads produce thick indehiscent pods whose sweet pulp attracts animals. Hard-coated seeds benefit from scarification; local dispersers and recruitment rates remain unknown.
Shelter: Not yet assessed
Growth form: Tree

Threats and conservation

Monitoring: Not yet assessed
Data gaps: Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing: Not yet assessed
Seasonal description: Monkeypod (Samanea saman) is an introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Its checklist classification is naturalized; current extent is unassessed. Native to tropical America and widely planted as a shade tree. Animal consumption of sweet pod pulp can disperse hard seeds, and roots form nitrogen-fixing symbioses. Bishop Museum and Smithsonian document naturalized Kauaʻi occurrence; a 2015 plan separately documents persistent planted stands.

Sources and further reading

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