TAMARIND
Scientific name - Tamarindus indica
Family - Fabaceae
COMMON NAMES:
1) The Tamarind.
2) Imli, Amli in Hindi.
3) Tamarindus is from the Persian name for this tree tamar-i-Hindi, i.e., the date of India.
4) Indica in Latin means Indian.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT TAMARIND TREE:
1) A very large handsome evergreen tree with dark grey rough bark.
2) Leaves with 10-20 pairs of leaflets.
3) Flowers about 0.5 inch long, variegated yellow and red, appearing in the hot weather.
4) Pods 3-6 inches long, 0.5 inch thick, filled with dark brown fibrous, acid pulp, containing 3-10 seeds, ripening in the cold weather.
5) There is a variety the pod of which has sweet pulp and another variety with a reddish pulp.
6) The last named is considered the best.
USES OF THE TAMRIND TREE:
1) In suitable places the tamarind is one of the finest trees in India, growing to an enormous size (a girth of 42 feet has been recorded) and reaching a great age.
2) The pulp of the fruit is a favourite ingredient of curries and chutneys, it is used medicinally and also for making sherbet.
3) The leaves and flowers are also eaten.
4) The timber is durable but hard and difficult to work.
5) Moreover the heartwood is rather small, otherwise the tree would be much more valuable foe timber.
6) It is used for mallets, rice-pounders, oil presses, etc.
HABITAT OF THE TAMRIUND TREE:
1) Believed to be indigenous to Tropical Africa.
2) Now cultivated everywhere in the tropics and found growing spontaneously in Asia and America.
