Vintage Hawaiian Monkey Pod Wood Bowl Lotus Flower Design. 

Size: 11 1/2 X 11 1/2 X 4 1/2 in. 

#7157 . 

Called saman in Spanish and “raintree” around the globe, the monkey pod tree arrived in the so-called “Sandwich Islands” in 1847 when Peter A. Brinsmade of Ladd & Company introduced two seeds from Panama to the volcanic soil. The first seed was planted at the crossroad of Bishop and Hotel Streets in downtown Honolulu, Oahu. The second was placed in the historic district of Koloa on Kauai. Today, those kernels are believed to be the progenitors for the hundreds of monkey pod trees currently found throughout Hawaii. The seeds swiftly took to the Aloha State’s diverse climate, particularly in savannahs, where the trees can grow up to 80 feet tall and just as wide. With gorgeous umbrellas of thick foliage and short but sturdy trunks, the monkey pod has become synonymous with the islands’ organic beauty, as recognizable as the ubiquitous palm tree, and far more beneficial. Due to its shape and size, the monkey pod shields vegetation underneath its awning, meaning the grass beneath a monkey pod tree remains vibrant even during the bone-dry center of drought because the pods, leaves, and foliage that fall to the ground possess the capacity to release key elements in a process dubbed “nitrogen fixing.” These unique microcosms of verdure throughout the Americas were often considered spiritual places by various native people, and even early colonizers sought to cultivate the tree once they recognized the natural agrarian benefits they provided.