Liliuokalani Gardens: Why is it called a monkey pod tree? no, not Monkey Pox Tree for those of you that are thinking it, ha!
The Hawaiian common name, monkey-pod, is used here because it is a logical derivation of the scientific name Pithecellobium (monkey earring in Greek). Besides monkey-pod, raintree, and saman, which is its name throughout Latin America, the tree is called mimosa in the Philippines.