Tropicos | Name - !Tamarindus indica L.

!Tamarindus indica L.

Flora Data (Last Modified On 11/27/2012)

Species	TAMARINDUS INDICA L.
PlaceOfPublication	Sp. P1. 34. 1753.
Synonym	Taimarindus occidentalis Gaertn. Fruct. 2:310, t. I46. 1791. Tamarindus umbrosa Salisb. Prodr. 323. 1796. Tarnarindus officinalis Curt. Bot. Mag. P1. 4563. 1851.
Description	Unarmed, naturalized trees, with puberulent to glabrous branchlets, spreading crown, and rough, brown bark. Leaves 6-12 cm. long, glabrous or nearly so; leaflets 6-18 pairs, oblong, 1-2.5 cm. long, rounded to retuse apically, obliquely obtuse to subtruncate basally, chartaceous, reticulate. Inflorescence as described for the genus; pedicels slender, 6-10 mm. long. Flowers yellow striped with red; sepals 5, elliptic-lanceolate, 6-10 mm. long; larger petals 3, obovate, 8-12 mm. long, subfimbriate; stamens arcuate, investing the ovary below, up to 14 mm. long; anthers oblong, about 2 mm. long; ovary somewhat pubescent basally. Legume 5-15 cm. long, about 2 cm. thick, lepidote, with an acid pulp surrounding the seeds; seeds about 1 cm. wide.
Habit	trees
Distribution	World tropics.
Specimen	PANAMA: Taboga, Hayes 291.
Note	The species is commonly cultivated. The pulp of the fruit, said to be rich in formic and butyric acids, is used in preparation of a refreshing drink. The fruit is also reported to have medicinal properties, used as a laxative and in preparation of a gargle.