Tamarindus indica L.
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Authority
Isley, Duane. 1975. Leguminosae of the United States: II. Subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (2): 1-228.
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Family
Caesalpiniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Tree to 20 m with rounded crown, drooping branches and glabrate, kinky twigs. Leafstalk 4-10(-10) cm with short petiole; leaflets 9-13(-16) pairs, subsessile, shortly oblong, symmetric, .9-2 cm, 2.2-3 r, glabrate, reticulate-nerved, emarginate. Stipules membranous, subulate, to 1 cm, early deciduous. Flowers 6-10 in short, intercalary, pendent racemes with or without proximal leaves, initially ensheathed by large deciduous bracts. Pedicels slender, 6-8 mm; sepals 4, glaucous, 8-9 mm, unequal, pink in bud, reflexed or deciduous at anthesis; petals 3, appearing pink but reddish-veined on a yellow background, 9-13 cm, marginally crinkled; fertile stamens basally monadelphous, curving parallel to pistil. Legume indehiscent, persistent, oblong, straight to curved, compressed to subterete, 7-12 cm long, 2-3 cm wide and 1-2 cm thick; valves often irregularly constricted due to abortion of some seeds, succulent when immature, at maturity becoming dry, brittle-coriaceous and gray-brown. Seeds few.
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Discussion
CN 2n = 24 (Atchison, 1951). The numerous economic uses of the tamarind in the tropics are summarized by Morton (1958) and Purseglove (1968), the former noting that “in India, some 230,000 tons of tamarind pulp are harvested annually.” Consumption is largely local but dried tamarind pulp is a minor export commodity from India.
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Distribution
S Florida, cult, ornamental and persistent after cult., slightly naturalized. Introduced in s Texas. May-September or sporadically all year. Tamarind. Native of Africa, widely planted and established in warm regions.
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