Tamarind seed

LATIN NAME: TAMARINDUS INDICA

COMMON NAME: Tamarind, Indian Date

The Tamarindus indica, or tamarind, is one of the most useful and distinctive of the tropical trees, and its feathery, compound leaves, its small, yellow flowers and its long, brown, pod-like fruits with the sweet-sour, sticky pulp have made it a tree of the tropical gardens and the markets across the warm regions of the world. It grows as a large, evergreen or semi-deciduous tree of the pea family, reaching up to twenty-five metres or more, with the thick, dark-grey, furrowed bark and the spreading, rounded crown bearing alternate, feathery, compound, bright-green leaves with the many small, oval leaflets which fold at night, and bearing, in the warm months, the small, yellow, red-veined flowers in the clusters, followed by the long, brown, pod-like fruits which contain the sweet-sour, sticky, brown pulp and the hard seeds. It is a species of the flowering tree, native to the tropical regions of the Africa, while it has been cultivated across the tropics for its fruit for thousands of years, and it is known as the tamarind or the Indian date.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The tamarind has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the food science and the nutrition, since the Tamarindus indica produces the sweet-sour, sticky pulp which is widely used as a flavouring and a food, and the researchers have examined the pulp, its composition and its many uses, while the study of the tropical fruits has drawn attention in the international food and natural-products press. The plant has also been studied in the horticulture and the tropical-tree science, since the tamarind is a popular, useful tree for the tropical garden and the landscape, and the researchers have examined its cultivation, its propagation and its value in the landscape, while the study of the tropical fruit trees has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the chemistry and the natural-products science, since the tamarind contains a range of compounds in its pulp and its seeds, and the researchers have examined its constituents and its composition, while the feathery leaves and the long, pod-like fruits of the tamarind have been of interest to the botanists and the food scientists. For a tree of such utility, the Tamarindus indica has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Tamarind from seed, the tamarind is a large, evergreen tree of the tropical regions, bearing the feathery, compound leaves and the small, yellow flowers, followed by the long, brown, pod-like fruits with the sweet-sour pulp. Its flowers feed the bees and the other pollinators, and its spreading, rounded crown gives a fine shade in the tropical garden and the landscape, while its sweet-sour, sticky pulp is a popular flavouring and food in the tropical regions. Its economic value is real: the tamarind is prized for its sweet-sour pulp used as a flavouring and a food, and its value has drawn attention in the international food and horticultural press, while the sweet-sour flavour and the easy cultivation have made it a favourite of the tropical gardens and the markets, and the tree is a fine addition to the tropical garden, the landscape and the orchard. To raise the tamarind, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the warmth.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep the young tamarind gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the warmth.

  Tamarind Tamarindus indica Tamarind, is a magnificent tree that is native to tropical areas of Africa. The tamarind is a bushy tree of medium height, usually a maximum height of around 12 metres. The Leaves are bright green and elliptical ovular in shape arranged in alternate pattern, they are about 4 – 5 cm in length. The tree has a single trunk with branches drooping, particulalry as the tree matures.The tamarind does produce a small 5 petaled flower, red and yellow in colour. The fruit is a encapsulated in a pod 12 to 15 cm in length, with a hard, brown shell. It has an acid pulp hcih istangy in flavour with a brown or reddish-brown colouration. The fruit pulp is very nutritious being high in B vitamins and in Calcium and is a staple ingredient in East African and North African cuisine. As the tree is a tropical species so is sensitive to frost. Uses: Tamarind Pulp is used around the world in a variety of cusines, including Pad Thai Curries, Moroccan and middle eastern curries, as a refreshing drink and in chutneys in East Africa and Zanzibar. Can replace lemon juice in recipes providing an incredible boost to flavour and taste. Tamarind flowers The gruit is a legume, sometimes called a pod, 12 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches) in length, with a hard, brown shell. The fruit has a fleshy, juicy, acidulous pulp. It is mature when the flesh is colored brown or reddish-brown. The tamarinds of Asia have longer pods containing six to 12 seeds, whereas African and West Indian varieties have short pods containing one to six seeds. The seeds are somewhat flattened, and glossy brown. The tamarind is best described as sweet and sour in taste, and is high in tartaric acid, sugar, B vitamins and, oddly for a fruit, calcium. You can make a delicious drink from the fruit of this tree. Take seeds out of pod and cook the pulp. Add sugar and water and boil until soft. Add water and ice to make a delicious tea! The tamarind is a long-lived, medium-growth, bushy tree, which attains a maximum crown height of 12 to 18 meters (40 to 60 feet). The crown has an irregular, vase-shaped outline of dense foliage. The tree grows well in full sun in clay, loam, sandy, and acidic soil types, with a high drought and aerosol salt (wind-borne salt as found in coastal areas) resistance. Leaves are evergreen, bright green in color, elliptical ovular, arrangement is alternate, of the pinnately compound type, with pinnate venation and less than 5 cm (2 inches) in length. The branches droop from a single, central trunk as the tree matures and is often pruned in human agriculture to optimize tree density and ease of fruit harvest. At night, the leaflets close up. The tamarind does flower, though inconspicuously, with red and yellow elongated flowers. Flowers are 2.5 cm wide (one inch), five-petalled, borne in small racemes, and yellow with orange or red streaks. Buds are pink as the four sepals are pink and are lost when the flower blooms.