Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Tamarindus indica L. (FABACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Tamarind, Assam Jawa

Description

Deciduous tree to 28 m tall. Leaves 8-16 cm long, with 10-18 pairs of leaflets without terminal leaflet. Flowers in loose racemes, petals pale yellow with red veins. Fruits 5-15 cm long, pendulous, oblong, straight to curved, shallowly constricted between seeds, brown.

Ecology

Low-altitude woodland, savannah and bush.

Distribution

Probably native in E Africa. Occasionally naturalised.

Uses

Widely cultivated in the tropics for its fruits. The pulp from the fruits is widely used to flavour soap and curry for its sour taste. It is an important ingredient in many SE Asian dishes.