MONKEYPOD

Tropical beauty with a funny name

-  Ken Burton

find it hard to say monkeypod with out at least cracking a smile. And, contrary to the environmental concerns surrounding some tree species, monkeypod, (Pithecellobium saman also Albizia saman and Samanea saman) is something to smile about. Not only is the wood beautiful, but the trees it comes from are both abundant and flourishing. While somewhat expensive here in the continental United States, in many parts of the world where the trees grow, the species is treated as a utility wood, much the same way we view pine and poplar. The lumber itself runs from golden to a reddish-brown reminiscent of mahogany. Some boards exhibit dark streaks, while others can contain curl and other wild figure. Monkeypod trees grow fast and can reach significant sizes: 100' or taller and 3-4' in diameter, so wide boards are commonly available. The wood is very stable and highly resistant to rot and insect damage.

Where the wood comes from

While monkeypod trees are native to Central and South America, the trees have been propagated and naturalized in the tropics around the world. One story, for example, holds that in Hawaii, a businessman brought two seeds to the islands in 1847. Both of those seeds germinated, giving the tree a foothold in the islands. Today, all of the monkeypod trees in the Aloha state are alleged to be related to those two original plants. The monkeypod moniker stems from the spiral-shaped fruit pods the tree produces: its scientific name Pithecellobium means "monkey earring" in Greek. In other parts of the world, the species is known as raintree because the leaves tend to curl up when skies darken, allowing rainfall to pass through the canopy to the ground below.

History in woodworking