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Terminalia catappa
Terminalia catappa is a large tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, sea almond, tropical almond, beach almond and false kamani.
The species epithet is based on its Malay name ketapang.
The tree grows to 35 metres (115 feet) tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and horizontal branches. As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more flattened to form a spreading, vase shape. Its branches are distinctively arranged in tiers. The leaves are large and ovoid, 15–25 cm (6–9+3⁄4 in) long and 10–14 cm (4–5+1⁄2 in) broad; they have a glossy and leathery dark green surface like paper. They fall during the dry season; they turn pinkish-reddish or yellow-brown, due to pigments such as violaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin.[citation needed]
The trees are monoecious, with distinct small male and female flowers on the same tree. Both are produced on axillary or terminal spikes, they are 1 cm (3⁄8 in) in diameter, white to greenish, and inconspicuous with no petals. Pollen grains measure about 30 microns.[citation needed]
The fruit is a drupe 5–7 cm (2–2+3⁄4 in) long and 3–5.5 cm (1+1⁄8–2+1⁄8 in) broad containing a single seed; it is green at first, then yellows and finally turns to red when ripe. The entire fruit is corky and light so it can be dispersed by water, but it can also be spread by bats that eat them. When the seed germinates, it unfolds the largest pair of foliar (leafy) cotyledons of any plant, up to 8.5 cm (3.3 in) wide by up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long.
The tree has been spread widely by humans, so the native range is uncertain. It has long been naturalised in a broad belt extending from Africa to northern Australia and New Guinea through southeast Asia and Micronesia into the Indian subcontinent. More recently, the plant has been introduced to parts of the Americas. Until the mid-20th century, the tree had been used extensively in Brazilian urban landscaping, since being a rare case tropical deciduous, their fallen leaves would give a "European" flair to the street. This practice is currently abolished, and the "amendoeiras" are being replaced by native, evergreen trees.
T. catappa is widely grown in tropical regions of the world as an ornamental tree, grown for the deep shade its large leaves provide. The fruit is edible, tasting slightly acidic. When ripe, the seeds are edible raw or cooked and are the source of its 'almond' common names, but are small and difficult to extract.
The wood is red and solid, and has high water resistance; it has been used in Polynesia for making canoes. In Tamil, almond is known as nattuvadumai.
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Terminalia catappa
Terminalia catappa is a large tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, sea almond, tropical almond, beach almond and false kamani.
The species epithet is based on its Malay name ketapang.
The tree grows to 35 metres (115 feet) tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and horizontal branches. As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more flattened to form a spreading, vase shape. Its branches are distinctively arranged in tiers. The leaves are large and ovoid, 15–25 cm (6–9+3⁄4 in) long and 10–14 cm (4–5+1⁄2 in) broad; they have a glossy and leathery dark green surface like paper. They fall during the dry season; they turn pinkish-reddish or yellow-brown, due to pigments such as violaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin.[citation needed]
The trees are monoecious, with distinct small male and female flowers on the same tree. Both are produced on axillary or terminal spikes, they are 1 cm (3⁄8 in) in diameter, white to greenish, and inconspicuous with no petals. Pollen grains measure about 30 microns.[citation needed]
The fruit is a drupe 5–7 cm (2–2+3⁄4 in) long and 3–5.5 cm (1+1⁄8–2+1⁄8 in) broad containing a single seed; it is green at first, then yellows and finally turns to red when ripe. The entire fruit is corky and light so it can be dispersed by water, but it can also be spread by bats that eat them. When the seed germinates, it unfolds the largest pair of foliar (leafy) cotyledons of any plant, up to 8.5 cm (3.3 in) wide by up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long.
The tree has been spread widely by humans, so the native range is uncertain. It has long been naturalised in a broad belt extending from Africa to northern Australia and New Guinea through southeast Asia and Micronesia into the Indian subcontinent. More recently, the plant has been introduced to parts of the Americas. Until the mid-20th century, the tree had been used extensively in Brazilian urban landscaping, since being a rare case tropical deciduous, their fallen leaves would give a "European" flair to the street. This practice is currently abolished, and the "amendoeiras" are being replaced by native, evergreen trees.
T. catappa is widely grown in tropical regions of the world as an ornamental tree, grown for the deep shade its large leaves provide. The fruit is edible, tasting slightly acidic. When ripe, the seeds are edible raw or cooked and are the source of its 'almond' common names, but are small and difficult to extract.
The wood is red and solid, and has high water resistance; it has been used in Polynesia for making canoes. In Tamil, almond is known as nattuvadumai.