Bark
Rough and highly cracked. The surface can appear somewhat flaky or shaggy on older trees. Typically, gray-brown, dark brown, or blackish.
Tamarindus indica
Syn. Tamarindus officinalis
IUCN Red List
Least Concern
(LC)
Local name
- Tamarind (English)
- Imli (Hindi)
- Khati Amli (Gujarati)
Tree type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Fabaceae
20m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
The leaves are about 10 in long with 10-18 pairs of 1 in oblong leaflets. Tamarind drops its leaves in pronounced dry seasons; in climates without a dry season, it stays evergreen.
Flower
The flowers are about 1 in across, pale yellow with purple or red veins. They have five unequal lobes and borne in small drooping clusters.
Fruit / Seeds
The velvety cinnamon brown pods are 2-6 in long, sausage shaped and constricted between the seeds.
Did you know?
From India, it reportedly spread to Persia and Arabia, where it was called “tamar hind” (Indian date), inspiring its common and scientific names.
Distribution
India, Tropical Africa, including Sudan and parts of the Madagascar