In Cambodia In
Cambodia the
Samanea saman is known locally as
chankiri (ចន្ទគិរី). It is unclear when and how Chankiri was introduced to Cambodia. It is possible the tree was introduced from Brazil by the French in the 1920s, together with the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) during the rubber industry's global boom in the early 1900s. It is also possible the tree came from neighboring countries in the region where the plant had been introduced earlier on by Western colonial explorers. Since its introduction to Cambodia, it has been widely planted across the country thanks to its tall height and expansive branches that can shade large areas, and as an ornamental. The fruit is eaten, and in famine times the young leaves are eaten in salads. the official Khmer name for the plant because the flowers from this tree resemble the beautiful long-haired tail of the (known in English as yak). (French tamarind) is another colloquial name for it in Cambodia.
Chankiri Trees in the Killing Fields Multiple
chankiri can be found in the
Killing Fields, an execution field used by the
Khmer Rouge during the
Cambodian genocide, though the trees were planted at the field long before. Children and infants with parents accused of crimes against the regime were smashed against trees, so that the children "wouldn't grow up and take revenge for their parents' deaths". It was a coincidence that the Chankiri tree at the Killing Fields is one of the many trees against which the Khmer Rouge executioners beat young children and there are no specific associations locally between the Chankiri tree and the Khmer Rouge.
In Venezuela When
Alexander von Humboldt travelled in the Americas from 1799 to 1804, he encountered a giant saman tree near
Maracay, Venezuela. He measured the circumference of the
parasol-shaped crown at 576 ft (about 180.8 m), its diameter was around 190 ft (about 59.6 m), on a trunk at 9 ft (about 2.8 m) in diameter and reaching just 60 ft (nearly 19 m) in height. Humboldt mentioned the tree was reported to have changed little since the
Spanish colonization of Venezuela; he estimated it to be as old as the famous
Canary Islands dragon tree (
Dracaena draco) of
Icod de los Vinos on
Tenerife. The tree, called
Samán de Güere (
transcribed Zamang del Guayre by von Humboldt) still stands today, and is a Venezuelan national treasure. Just like the dragon tree on Tenerife, the age of the saman in Venezuela is rather indeterminate. As von Humboldt's report makes clear, according to local tradition, it would be older than 500 years today, which is rather outstanding by the genus' standards. It is certain, however, the tree is quite more than 200 years old today, but it is one exceptional individual; even the well-learned von Humboldt could not believe it was actually the same species as the saman trees he knew from the
greenhouses at
Schönbrunn Castle. A famous specimen called the "Brahmaputra Rain Tree" located at Guwahati on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India has the thickest trunk of any Saman; approximately diameter at breast height (DBH). The size of the pollen is around 119 microns and it is polyad of 24 to 32 grains. , at
Si Phan Don, Laos, during the dry season (when the river is low)
Indonesia and carbon sequestration Carbon sequestration is the capture and long-term removal of
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. According to a research conducted at the School of Forestry of the
Bogor Agricultural Institute,
Indonesia, a mature tree with a crown diameter measuring absorbed of CO2 annually. The trees have been planted in the Indonesian cities of
Kudus and
Demak and also will be planted along the shoulder of the road from
Semarang to
Losari. == Gallery ==