LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 

 MIMOSA SUBFAMILY (MIMOSOIDEAE; MIMOSACEAE) 



69. Saman, raintree 



This well-known beautiful shade tree reaches 

 larp;e size botli in trunk diameter and in a A^ery 

 broad arched crown. It is further identified by: 

 (1) twice pinnate leaves (bipinnate) with many 

 nearly diamond-shaped leaflets %-lV2 inches long 

 and %-% inch broad, the sides unequal, the outer 

 leaflets considerably larger than the others, and 

 the pairs of leaflets folding together at night and 

 on cloudy days; (2) delicate flower heads 21/2 

 inches across and IV2 inches high, a mass of nu- 

 merous threadlike stamens pink in outer half and 

 white in inner half; and (3) flattened bi-own or 

 blackish pods 4-8 inches long, about %-% inch 

 wide, and 14 ii^ch thick, straight or a little curved, 

 with sweetish pulp, late in splitting open. 



An evergreen tree attaining 50-65 feet in height, 

 with a relatively short stout trunk up to 4 feet in 

 diameter. Crown of long, stout, horizontal 

 branches is broader than tall, becoming 100 feet 

 or more across. The gray bark is roujrh. furrowed 

 into long thin plates or corky ridges. Inner bark 

 is pink or light brown, bitter. The stout greenish 

 twigs are minutely hairy. 



The alternate leaves are about 10-16 inches long. 

 The axis and 2-6 pairs of branches (pinnae) are 

 green and finely hairy with swelling at base of each 

 and a gland dot on axis where branches join. 

 Each branch (pinna) bears 6-16 paired stalkless 

 leaflets with a gland dot between each pair. 

 Branches toward apex are longer and with more 

 leaflets. Leaflet blades are blunt and with a 

 minute point at apex, short-pointed at base, the 

 edges not toothed, slightly thickened, the upper 

 surface shiny green and with veins raised a little, 

 and the lower surface paler and finely hairy. 



Several flower clustei-s (heads or umbels) are 

 lateral near end of a twig, each on a green hairy 

 stalk 21,4-4 inches long and composed of many 

 narrow tubular flowers, pinkish, tinged with gi-een, 

 short -stalked. The narrow green calyx is tubular, 

 about 14 iiicli long. 5-toothed, and finely hairy; the 

 narrow pink and greenish-tinged corolla %-V^ 

 inch long is also tubular, 5-lobed, and finely hairy ; 

 the many stamens united in tube near base, have 

 spreading, very long, threadlike filaments about 

 IV2 inches long and dotlike anthers, soon wilting 

 and shriveling ; and the pistil consisting of 1-celled 

 light green ovary %,; inch long and a threadlike 

 pinkish style I-I14 inches long. 



The hard seed pods have a raised border. They 

 contain several oblong )-eddish-brown seeds about 

 •yi6 inch long (about 2,500 to a pound). Flower- 

 ing from spring to fall, fruiting from fall to 

 winter. 



The sapwood is thin and yellowish, and the 

 heartwood dark chocolate brown when freshly cut, 

 becoming attractive light to golden brown with 



164 



Pithecellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.* 



darker sti-eaks. The wood is soft, lightweight 

 (sjiecific gravity 0.44), of medium to coarse tex- 

 ture, and fairly strong. It is durable to very du- 

 rable in respect to decay and resistant to di-y-wood 

 termites. It takes a beautiful finish but is often 

 cross-grained and difficult to work. The rate of 

 air-seasoning is moderate, and amount of degrade 

 is considerable. Machining characteristics are as 

 follows: planing, mortising, sanding, and resist- 

 ance to screw splitting are good; shaping and bor- 

 ing are fair ; and turning is poor. 



Elsewhere the wood has been employed occa- 

 sionally for furniture, interior trim, and general 

 construction. It is suitable also for boxes and 

 crates, veneer, plywood, and paneling. In Central 

 America crass sections of thick trunks have served 

 as wheels of ox carts. 



The trees in Puerto Rico are valued mainly for 

 shade and beauty. The nutritious pods are rel- 

 ished by cattle, hogs, and goats and have a flavor 

 like licorice, which some persons like. A honey 

 plant. In a few countries saman has been em- 

 ployed as shade in plantations of coffee and cacao, 

 though less at present than formerly. Because of 

 their enormous growth the trees compete heavily 

 for water and soil nutrients, injuring the shrubs. 



Easily propagated from seed and cuttings and 

 of rapid growth. Cattle disseminate the seeds in 

 pastures. A famox:s giant in Trinidad more than 

 100 years old was measured as 8 feet in trunk di- 

 ameter, 147 feet high, and 187 feet in spread. 

 Sometimes trees become to]5heavy and dangerous 

 along highways and near liouses. The many sur- 

 face roots may also be objectionable. Perhaps bet- 

 ter suited to dry rather than moist localities, being 

 of smaller size in arid places. 



Cultivated along highways and streets and 

 planted and naturalized as a pasture shade tree 

 in both the moist and dry coastal regions and in 

 the lower Cordillera region of Puerto Eico. Also 

 in St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. 



Range. — Native from Mexico (Yucatan Pen- 

 insula) and Guatemala to Peru, Bolivia, and Bra- 

 zil. Widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in 

 continental tropical America from Mexico south- 

 ward, throughout the West Indies (except Ba- 

 hamas), and in Old World tropics. Gi-own also in 

 southern Florida. 



Other common names. — donnilon, guango 

 (Puerto Rico) ; licorice, giant tibet (Virgin Is- 

 lands) ; saman (Spanish) ; algarrobo, algarrobo 

 del pais (Cuba) ; algarrobo (Mexico, Guatemala) ; 

 cenicero (Guatemala, El Savador, Costa Rica) ; 

 carreto, zorra (El Salvador) ; samaguare, cam- 

 paiio, genizaro (Colombia) ; lara, urero, carabali 

 (Venezuela) ; huacamayo-chico (Peru) ; raintree, 

 saman (English) ; guango (Jamaica) ; cow-tama- 



