Monkey pod is the wood of a tree better known around the world as the rain tree, a tropical shade tree prized as much for its huge umbrella of branches as for its timber. Its warm brown, often swirling wood ends up in serving bowls, dining tables, carvings and even guitars. The same wood sells under a handful of different names, so many people own a piece without knowing it.
The Rain Tree Behind the Wood
The tree is Samanea saman, a semi-deciduous flowering tree in the pea family, related to mimosa.1Wikipedia. Samanea saman It grows wild from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula south through Guatemala to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.2USDA Forest Service. Monkey-Pod People have planted it as a shade tree throughout the tropics, from India and Sri Lanka to Nigeria, Uganda, Jamaica and Trinidad.3USDA Forest Service. Monkey-Pod It now grows on its own in many of those places, as well as the Philippines and Fiji.4USDA Forest Service. Monkey-Pod
The leaflets fold up at dusk and in cloudy weather, which lets rain fall through to the grass below.
Grown in the open, the tree usually reaches 15 to 25 m (50 to 80 ft) tall.5Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Samanea saman (rain tree) Its canopy often spreads wider than the tree is tall, giving it a distinctive umbrella shape.6Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Samanea saman (rain tree) On plantations it can reach about 100 ft tall and 5 ft across the trunk.7Diamond Tropical Hardwoods. Monkeypod One tree can therefore yield very wide boards.
The tree produces thick, dark pods, the likely source of the “pod” in monkey pod. Cattle and horses eat the pods and help spread the seeds, which fits with the tree’s habit of appearing on its own in pastures. Trees cleared from farms, roadsides and towns supply much of the lumber, and its fast growth makes plantation growing practical.
Like many pea-family plants, its roots host bacteria that pull nitrogen from the air into the soil.8Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Samanea saman (rain tree) Grass under and near its canopy grows better as a result, which is one reason farmers plant it in pastures.9Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Samanea saman (rain tree)
What Monkey Pod Wood Looks and Feels Like
The inner wood is golden to dark brown, sometimes with darker streaks.10The Wood Database. Monkeypod A thin yellowish-white band of outer wood sits sharply against it.11The Wood Database. Monkeypod Many bowls and slabs show a pale rim along the edge, which is one clue to the wood among several. Grain is usually straight but can be interlocked, wavy or highly figured and curly.12The Wood Database. Monkeypod Under a clear oil finish the figure can look striped, wavy or almost liquid.13Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care
Look for pores, the tiny open pits in the surface. Monkey pod is coarse-textured, so they show, and you can feel them on an unfinished surface. A freshly cut surface can look duller or greener-brown, and the color deepens toward golden or chocolate as the wood ages and is oiled, so a pale new piece is not necessarily a different wood.
Builders treat monkey pod as a hard, heavy wood suited to flooring, cabinets and furniture.14Mobilya ve AhÅŸap Malzeme AraÅŸtırmaları Dergisi. Monkey pod odununda yüzey pürüzlülüğü parametrelerinin ve shore – D sertlik deÄŸerinin belirlenmesi Density varies with growing conditions, though: wood from a waterlogged tree dried to about 420 kg per cubic metre versus 550 from a tree on drier ground.15Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research. Effect of waterlogging on physical and mechanical properties of Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. tree The wood is rated durable to very durable against decay,16The Wood Database. Monkeypod and it resists most insect attacks.17The Wood Database. Monkeypod
Durability has limits. Decay resistance belongs to the dark inner wood. The pale outer band is much less resistant and more open to rot and insects, so a slab with a lot of it left on is less protected. Resisting rot is also different from resisting moisture movement: even durable wood swells and shrinks with the humidity, which is how cracks can appear in a table in a dry house. And since ratings describe the wood’s own resistance, a piece left in standing water or soil will still deteriorate eventually.
What Monkey Pod Wood Is Used For
Monkey pod is best known for giant slabs cut with the tree’s natural outer edge left on, often sold as live edge slabs.18Diamond Tropical Hardwoods. Monkeypod Those slabs become dining tables, desks and countertops.19Diamond Tropical Hardwoods. Monkeypod The wood is also used for cabinetry, veneer, plywood and millwork,20Winkler Woods. Monkey Pod and it goes into flooring, wall panels, cladding and turned pieces.21Mobilya ve AhÅŸap Malzeme AraÅŸtırmaları Dergisi. Monkey pod odununda yüzey pürüzlülüğü parametrelerinin ve shore – D sertlik deÄŸerinin belirlenmesi Two boards cut from the same log are often opened like a book and joined down the middle to make a mirrored pattern.
If you are shopping for one, ask whether the slab is fully dried, since big slabs take a long time. Look for cracks and check whether they have been stabilized. Decide whether you want the pale sapwood edge kept or trimmed, and ask about origin and certification.
In Hawaii, monkey pod is a traditional wood for bowls and dishes.22Brazilian Hardwood. Monkey Pod Live Edge Slab Bowls and walking sticks sold as souvenirs are often monkey pod,23Maui Web Cameras. Maui Plant of the Month: Monkeypod Trees of Hawaii and carvings and gift items are a major use.24Winkler Woods. Monkey Pod A bowl labeled monkey pod is not koa, a different native Hawaiian tree that costs more.
Finished bowls are commonly sold for serving food. Hand wash and dry them promptly rather than soaking them or using a dishwasher, and rub in a food-safe oil when the wood looks dry or pale. Open pores mean oily or acidic foods can stain unfinished wood.
Guitar makers use monkey pod for tops, backs and sides, and the trade sells it as tonewood.25Acoustic Guitar Forum. Monkeypod Tonewood Profile Its tone is described as falling between mahogany and walnut, with more clarity than walnut.26Acoustic Guitar Forum. Monkeypod Tonewood Profile Players describe a woody sound with clear high notes.27Monkey Guitars. What Is Monkey Pod Wood and What Is It Used For Where the tree grows, its lumber is used for anything from rough construction to fine furniture.28The Wood Database. Monkeypod
Why It Goes by So Many Names
These are the names you may see for the same species:
- Monkey pod or monkeypod: the common name in Hawaii and the United States.29Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care
- Rain tree or raintree wood: the name for the tree used in most of the world.30Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care
- Saman: its Spanish name.31Maui Web Cameras. Maui Plant of the Month: Monkeypod Trees of Hawaii
- Suar or soar: common on furniture from Southeast Asia.32Wikipedia. Samanea saman
- East Indian walnut: a trade name.33Wikipedia. Samanea saman
- Others: cow tamarind, inga saman and giant thibet.34Wikipedia. Samanea saman
East Indian walnut can confuse buyers because it isn’t true walnut.35Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care When a label matters to you, check for the species name, Samanea saman.
A tag saying simply walnut would normally mean true walnut, a different tree with its own look and price. And where the label says only “tropical hardwood,” you cannot tell which species you have, so it is fair to ask.
Monkey Pod Compared With Koa and Mahogany
Monkey pod is cheaper than koa and Cuban mahogany because more of it is sold as lumber and craft wood.36Winkler Woods. Monkey Pod Koa often commands higher prices.37Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care It is rarer and dwindling, while monkey pod shares its rich browns and striking grain.38Wooden Edge Studios. What Is Monkeypod Wood? Properties, Benefits, And Common Use That makes monkey pod a cost-effective alternative when you want the koa look, especially for large tables. Koa may still matter if Hawaiian heritage wood is the whole point.
Both woods can run from golden to deep brown with wavy or curly figure, so a photo can make them hard to tell apart. Koa tends to be known for a shimmering, three-dimensional figure, while monkey pod’s contrast between pale sapwood and dark heartwood is often a stronger clue.
On guitars, monkey pod’s tone is described as falling between koa and mahogany.39Winkler Woods. Monkey Pod
Is Monkey Pod Wood Sustainable
Monkey pod is not listed as threatened by CITES or on the IUCN Red List,40The Wood Database. Monkeypod largely because it is commonly planted across the tropics as a shade or ornamental tree.41The Wood Database. Monkeypod That means buying the wood does not threaten the species, though it does not guarantee a piece was harvested responsibly.
Much of the wood is harvested from managed plantations or reclaimed sources, which reduces pressure on natural forests.42Diamond Tropical Hardwoods. The Beauty and Benefits of Monkeypod Wood Reclaimed wood comes from trees removed for safety, construction or storm damage.
Some suppliers sell wood that is FSC certified, meaning its chain of custody is checked by the Forest Stewardship Council.43Diamond Tropical Hardwoods. Monkeypod FSC-certified wood can be traced from a forest managed to the council’s standards to the seller. A seller who says a piece is certified should be able to show a certificate or document number. For a large piece, ask for certification or reclaimed origin. Certification is uncommon on small souvenirs, so its absence on a cheap bowl is not a warning sign by itself.
Working With and Caring for Monkey Pod
Monkey pod usually machines pleasantly with sharp tools.44Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care Interlocked grain can tear out during planing or routing,45Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care so use carbide blades, sharp planer knives and light passes.46Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care
Read the grain direction before each cut and change direction when chips start lifting. On curly areas a scraper often works better than a plane.
Sanding with progressively finer grits from 80 to 220 gives a smoother surface,47Mobilya ve AhÅŸap Malzeme AraÅŸtırmaları Dergisi. Monkey pod odununda yüzey pürüzlülüğü parametrelerinin ve shore – D sertlik deÄŸerinin belirlenmesi so work through the grits rather than jumping to fine paper. Skipping a step leaves marks finer paper cannot erase. Sand with the grain, because scratches across it show up once oil goes on. Wiping with a damp cloth after the finest grit raises the grain slightly, and a light final sanding then gives a smoother result after oiling.
A clear oil finish brings out the figure.48Glamorwood. Monkey Pod Wood Guide: Uses, Hardness, Care Wipe on a thin coat, let it soak in, and remove the excess after the time the product directs, since oil left on the surface turns tacky. Rags soaked with some finishing oils, such as linseed oil, can heat up and ignite as they dry, so lay them flat outdoors to dry or soak them in water before disposal. Oil gives a natural look but less protection than a hard film finish.
To keep a finished table looking good, use coasters and wipe spills quickly despite the wood’s decay resistance. Keep it away from direct heaters and constant sun to limit cracking. Reapply oil or wax when the surface dulls, and sand out light scratches on oiled finishes.