Rain tree, saman tree

This large, fast-growing tree reaches heights of over 25 m and has a characteristic broad crown measuring more than 30 m across, sometime up to 40 m. It has dark, fissured bark.

Its leaves are compound and bipinnate, meaning that they have 2 to 6 leaflets, each of which is in turn divided into 2 rows of 2 to 8 small leaves.

The stamens, long and numerous, are spread in a ball. This type of flower is characteristic of the mimosoid clade (a subdivision of Fabaceae).  The stamens of the rain tree are pink.

The fruit of the rain tree is a long, flattened coffee-coloured or black pod, 10 to 20 cm long and 1 to 2 cm thick, with sweet pulp.