Tamarind

Tamarind tree ( Tamarindus indica)

Called The tamarind tree ( Tamarindus indica), also Indian date or Sauerdattel, is the only species of the genus Tamarindus in the subfamily of carob plants ( Caesalpinioideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae or Leguminosae). It is widely distributed in Africa and adjacent areas and is cultivated in many areas.

Description

The tamarind tree grows as evergreen tree reaching heights of growth 6-25 meters. The rough bark is gray to gray - black. The bark of young branches is hairy. He has aged smooth, brown - black knots.

The stalked, in pairs pinnate leaves have a length of 5 to 12 ( rarely to 16) cm and contain 20-40 leaflets. These smooth, oblong to elliptic leaflets with rounded or blunt tip sit with rounded base of the midrib (leaf stem ); they have a length of 10 to 25 mm, a width of 4-9 mm and are used for night folded ( " sleeping position "), but do not respond to touch. The small egg-shaped stipules at the base of the leaf fall off early.

The axillary or terminal, racemose inflorescences are 1-15 (rarely to 22) cm long. The flower buds are red. The flower cup ( hypanthium ) is 3-5 mm long. The perianth consists of four recurved white to pale yellow sepals and three yellow, marked with red and green trim Venatur petals. There are only three fertile stamens present, which have grown together stamens in its lower half.

Straight to curved, almost cylindrical, fleshy brown pulses have a length of 3 to 15 cm and a diameter of 2 to 3 cm. Inside is a very acidic pulp, which is rich in tartaric acid. The fruits contain from one to ten seeds. The coconut - brown seeds have a size 11 to 17 × 10 to 12 mm.

Origin and Distribution

The original homeland of the tamarind tree is located in East Africa. Already in prehistoric times he came to India, from where it was spread as a crop in all drier areas of the tropics and subtropics, including South and East Asia, the Mediterranean region.

Use

Main article: Tamarind

In tropical regions of the Tamarindebaum is cultivated as an ornamental and crop products (edible fruit ). The extremely hard wood is used in carpentry, but solely for timber production it is because of its slow growth rarely cultivated.

The tamarind ( Sleeve ) can be eaten raw or used as a seasoning for various dishes, such as sauces. In Asian and South American regions, the fruit is used for manufacture of confectionery, for example, the Mexican Pulparindo, Tamarindeneis and juice in Peru.