Albizia saman

[bubba]

Albizia saman (Rain Tree) is a tropical and very beautiful specimen. Can this beautiful specimen be grown successfully anywhere in the continental US? Any other quasi-tropical area’s in the world growing the Rain Tree ( South Spain, Malta, Perth, Brisbane, Cape Town, usual suspects...)? Pictures would be great!

[Matthew92]

I love those trees- they have the most beautiful specimens in Honolulu, Hawaii where they are called "monkey pod" trees. Surprisingly you don't really see them in South FL. Apparently they are very cold sensitive. There is a large one near Ft. Lauderdale that is very old. Just type in "rain tree ft. lauderdale" on Google, and you will see all the news articles talking about it and how they wanted to put in a big development and move the tree. Latest article I could find on it showed that they haven't moved it- although the development is still planned.

source of picture here: http://fortlauderdaleforester.blogspot.com/2013/01/tree-thursday_24.html

[bubba]

Thank you Opal92! That is a beautiful tree and not far away! What about those curious speimens rumored to be growing in Malta, Perth and near the Salton Sea?

[Palms1984]

I have one in a pot.  It grows very well and usually looses some of its leaves in late winter.  This past winter it didn't loose any leaves and actually grew through winter. 

I originally received my little tree from Matty B.  I know he had one in the ground for a while. I wish I had the room to put my tree into the ground.  I'm afraid it would grow way too large even here in San Diego.  

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

There are a ton of monkey pod trees in Hawaii.  I believe they were planted to provide shade and food to herds of cattle, or at least that is what a botanical tour guide told us...

[Palms1984]

You're correct there's so many Monkey pods trees in Hawaii.   I from Hawaii, all my family call them  garbage trees! lol!  So many locals call it that, also

[Elvis Cruz]

Also known as Samanea saman, with various common names.  Thousands are planted along the streets of Singapore.  

Samanea saman forms a beautiful canopy.

Yes, they can be grown in South Florida, as shown by the one in Ft. Lauderdale.

There is great misinformation about this tree on the internet, apparently caused by numerous websites copying the erroneous information that it can grow to 60 meters tall.  More like 60 feet tall, but that is under special circumstances, such as unlimited root area.  The false info seems to have originated with stories about the 1960 Disney movie Swiss Family Robinson, which featured a tree house built in a Samanea saman.  I visited that tree, on the island of Tobago.  It was 60-something feet tall, not 60 meters.

The tree folds up its leaves when darkness comes, like when a storm approaches, lessening its wind profile.

[tropicbreeze]

Lots were planted at the Darwin Botanic Gardens in a parkland area which people use for picnics and leisure activities. They would now average around 22 to 24 metres tall, however the largest I saw there was about 35 metres tall (Google 35 metres = 114.8294 feet).

There were some at my place but only to about 20 metres tall. One was cut out by the previous owner just before I bought the place. The other got borers that the Cockatoos used to chew the wood to get at. Eventually that tree collapsed. Lots of seedlings have come up, the tallest of those being about 15 metres now. But they haven't developed much of a canopy yet.

In the botanic gardens.

[Than]

On 8/8/2018 at 12:31 AM, Palms1984 said:

I have one in a pot.  It grows very well and usually looses some of its leaves in late winter.  This past winter it didn't loose any leaves and actually grew through winter. 

I originally received my little tree from Matty B.  I know he had one in the ground for a while. I wish I had the room to put my tree into the ground.  I'm afraid it would grow way too large even here in San Diego.  

Any updates from your rain tree?

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, ego said:

Any updates from your rain tree?

Andy ( Palms1984 ) hasn't been active ..or very active, here on the Forum in several years.. He is fairly active over on the " Grows on You " Plant Forum under the user name " Delonix1 "  Pictures in his extensive Photo Album are worth a look ( None of this tree though ).

Another tree ( ..Uhh, very large tree ) you might research are either of the Ear Pod trees ( Enterolobium )  Both are grown in Tucson, one of the two sps. for a few decades, ( See the listings under the " UofAZ Campus Arboretum Tree finder page ) ) Fast growing, but flowers aren't as showy as Samanea ( **formally Albizia ** ) saman.

[Than]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Andy ( Palms1984 ) hasn't been active ..or very active, here on the Forum in several years.. He is fairly active over on the " Grows on You " Plant Forum under the user name " Delonix1 "  Pictures in his extensive Photo Album are worth a look ( None of this tree though ).

Another tree ( ..Uhh, very large tree ) you might research are either of the Ear Pod trees ( Enterolobium )  Both are grown in Tucson, one of the two sps. for a few decades, ( See the listings under the " UofAZ Campus Arboretum Tree finder page ) ) Fast growing, but flowers aren't as showy as Samanea ( **formally Albizia ** ) saman.

Oh I love these trees that look like open umbrellas! Their branches look so long and dramatic and their shade is great. Do you know any other such species? Enterolobium may feel a bit squeezed in my 4000 sq. feet haha. Samanea on the other hand is too cold sensitive (but boy, what a tree!!).

Albizia julbrissim also has that shape but it is too messy.

Edited December 31, 2023 by ego

[Silas_Sancona]

18 minutes ago, ego said:

Oh I love these trees that look like open umbrellas! Their branches look so long and dramatic and their shade is great. Do you know any other such species? Enterolobium may feel a bit squeezed in my 4000 sq. feet haha. Samanea on the other hand is too cold sensitive (but boy, what a tree!!).

Albizia julbrissim also has that shape but it is too messy.

Besides those, Peltophorum, Delonix regia and elata ( i believe )  Maybe Castanospermum australe, and / or any of the " Umbrella canopy "  types of Acacia / Vachellia  from Africa  might fit. Spiny though.  Cordia dichotoma  perhaps..

Some other stuff from this part of the world /  neighboring Mexico / Caribbean: Lysiloma watsonii / thornberi ( if trained properly.. Lots of pods though )  Albizia sinaloensis / Albizia occidentalis  ( * Formally Hesperalbizia ** ) Texas Ebony,  Tara  ( ** Formally Caesalpinia ** )  cacalaco....  Bigger Bursera sps., like B. simarrubra,  Cedrelia / Swietenia, sps,   Ehretia tinifolia,   etc....  

No clue if any of those would be available on that side of the world though.

[Than]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Besides those, Peltophorum, Delonix regia and elata ( i believe )  Maybe Castanospermum australe, and / or any of the " Umbrella canopy "  types of Acacia / Vachellia  from Africa  might fit. Spiny though.  Cordia dichotoma  perhaps..

Some other stuff from this part of the world /  neighboring Mexico / Caribbean: Lysiloma watsonii / thornberi ( if trained properly.. Lots of pods though )  Albizia sinaloensis / Albizia occidentalis  ( * Formally Hesperalbizia ** ) Texas Ebony,  Tara  ( ** Formally Caesalpinia ** )  cacalaco....  Bigger Bursera sps., like B. simarrubra,  Cedrelia / Swietenia, sps,   Ehretia tinifolia,   etc....  

No clue if any of those would be available on that side of the world though.

Vachelia tortilis has the perfect shape but it won't look nice in a sub-tropical garden, with its thorns, small silver leaves and overall "I've had a tough life" look haha. 

Peltophorum is nice! Delonix elata and Lysiloma too. I guess Moringa tree too? 

Tbf, almost any tree can be pruned to an umbrella shape

[greysrigging]

Very commonly grown tree in Darwin, Northen Territory of AU @ 12.4*S.
Some 100 year old specimens in the City and Botanical Gardens.
Too big for the backyard, but fine for parks and rural acreage.

[Than]

Are there any Albizia species evergreen in zone 9?