Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

1. n., Monkeypod or rain tree (Samanea saman 🌐), a large leguminous tree from tropical America, grown in Hawaiʻi for shade and street planting; flowers pink, tufted.

• References:
  • Neal 401–3.
  • See saying, luhea.
  • PCP koofai.

2. n., A native legume (Sesbania tomentosa 🌐), a low to prostrate shrub with hairy, pale leaves and red or orange flowers about 2.5 cm long.

• Related:
  • White monkeypod (Albizia lebbeck 🌐) on Niʻihau. Cf. Neal 403.
• References:
  • Neal 450.
  • PCP koofai.

n., A branching shrub 6 to 12 feet high, bearing large red flowers (Sesbania tomentosa).

• Related:
  • The Tahitian name is "opai."

Native shrub (Sesbania tomentosa). It is prostrate with silky, wool-covered branches and leaves, red to orange, inch long flowers, and narrow pods 5 to 7 inches long. (NEAL 450.) See Plants: Uses.

Monkeypod or rain tree (Samanea saman). (NEAL 401.) See Plants: Uses.

Monkeypod or rain tree (Samanea saman), a favorite shade tree of tropical America. It rivals the elephantʻs ear in spread and height, growing to 80 feet. A monkeypod planted by Mark Twain was a landmark in Kaʻu, Hawaiʻi. The treeʻs pods yield seeds for leis, and its wood is prized for hand-made calabashes, platters, and other products. (NEAL 401.)