Scientific Name : Tamarindus indica L.
Common Name : Tamarind
Chinese Name : 酸豆、酸梅、酸角、羅望子
Family : CAESALPINIACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origin | Native to Africa, broadly cultivated in Hong Kong and some China provinces including Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian, Taiwan; widely cultivated in tropics. |
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| Meanings of Name | Tamarindus is derived from the Arabic words "tamar” and “Indian" meaning ‘date of India’, referring to its fruit. The specific epithet indica means India. |
| Vitality | Tamarind prefers full sun environment. |
| Ecology | Usually grows in woodland and wooded grassland, along river banks and on termite mounds. |
| Application | Fruits of Tamarind are sour and sweet, could be eaten directly or processed into candies fruits, kimchi, juice or seasoning. Moreover, it is a crucial component in Worcestershire sauce. Cooking oils could be extracted from seeds. The fruit contains medical values and is used to anti-scurvy, promote digestion, gas-relieving, and ease sore throats. Leaves, flowers and fruits of Tamarind contain unique acidic elements, which can be processed into another dye after mixing flowers which contain dyes. Tamarind is wind tolerant, thus is usually planted in coastal areas. Its wood is tough, heavy and has a fine texture, therefore is regarded as construction material to produce farm implements, vehicles, and luxury furniture. |
| Growing Habit | Evergreen tree. |
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| Height | To 25 m tall. |
| Stem | Bark dark grey, irregularly longitudinally splitting. |
| Leaves | Leaflets 10-20 pairs, oblong, base rounded, oblique, apex rounded or emarginate, glabrous on both surfaces. |
| Flower | Flowers few; peduncles and pedicels yellowish green puberulent. Bracteoles firmly enclose the buds before flowering. Petals yellow or mixed with purplish red stripes, obovate, margin wavy wrinkled. |
| Fruit | Pods terete-cylindrical, brown, straight or curved, often irregularly constricted. |
| Seed | Seeds brown, glossy. |
| Flowering Period | May to August in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting Period | December to May in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website:
https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=4549
Scientific Names from Other Databases
―Flora of China: Tamarindus indica Linnaeus
―GBIF: Tamarindus indica L.