Samanea saman

Saman, rain tree, monkey pod, cow tamarind

Lofty canopied tree with a large symmetrical crown. An advantageous shade tree as the fernlike leaflets close up at night, permitting rain to fall through to the grass beneath. The long black pods and the leaves relished for fodder. Rich in tannins. Withstands lopping and can be maintained at any desired height by judicious pruning. The foliage esteemed as livestock fodder.

As % of dry matter

DM

CP

CF

Ash

EE

NFE

Ca

P

Ref

Fresh twigs,

late vegetative,

Malaysia

38.9

24.7

22.1

4.4

2.8

46.0

0.55

0.26

292

Fresh leaves,

Thailand

39.1

22.1

29.4

6.0

7.0

35.5

1.42

0.21

56

Fresh leaves,

Trinidad

34.4

30.0

29.0

3.5

3.5

34.0

117

Pods, Jamaica

79.5

12.8

14.5

2.4

0.7

69.6

0.29

0.32

43

Pods, fallen,

Trinidad

85.0

18.0

10.9

4.6

1.4

65.1

117

Seeds, Jamaica

86.5

31.6

14.0

4.3

6.0

44.1

0.16

0.34

43

Digestibility (%)

Animal

CP

CF

EE

NFE

ME

Ref

Dried pods

Goats

41.0

38.7

38.6

66.6

2.9

551