Tamarindus

Taxonomy

Tamarindus C. Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 34. 1 Mai 1753.

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.4.74.
Tribe: Detarieae.
Group: Amherstia.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 3–16 cm long; 1–3.5 cm wide; 2–3 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width to 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with deciduous calyx; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight to curved; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; nearly circular, or falcate (or sausage-like onlong); with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; compressed to terete; without beak; tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit to oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit to oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit (slightly); with the apex and base uniform in texture; ligneous; seed chambers externally invisible; margin constricted, or not constricted; margin constricted along both margins to constricted only on 1 margin; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; substipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; reddish tan, or brown (dirty); with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined; not tuberculate; scaly; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; surface not veined; 2-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; with spongy layer over solid layer (pulpy when fresh and shrinking when dry and forming porous layerover solid layer); ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; glossy; opaque; monochrome; dark brown; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate (pulpy when fresh); not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1–10; length transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.1–1 mm long; of 1 length only; thick; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 11–17 mm long; 7–14 mm wide; 6–8 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; nearly circular to oblong, or irregular; compressed; with surface smooth; without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without hilar sinus; without umbo on seed faces; without medial ridge on each face. Cuticle not exfoliating; not inflated; not wrinkled. Testa present; without pieces of adhering epicarp; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark reddish brown; glabrous; not smooth; with recessed features, or elevated features; reticulate; pitted with small separate pits (outside of areola); osseous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present; fracture line pattern not specified, restricted to areola. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; apical at apex of radicle tip; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens not discernible. Endosperm absent. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces convex; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; partially concealing radicle (only tip exposed); notched at radicle; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight; parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; centered between cotyledons. Plumule well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

tropical Africa (Now widely cultivated).

Old World; tropical Africa and Madagascar.
Tropical worldwide crop.

Generic Notes

The pulp part of the tamarind fruit is "Edible and used for preserves, jams, sweets, etc., and also yields a refreshing drink. The seeds are also edible" (Ross, 1977b). Seeds bear a pleurogramlike demarcation (a pseudopleurogram) near the seed margin. A true pleurogram is a break in the testa, and there is no such break in the T. indica testa. Fracture lines are restricted to the areola, and pits are restricted to the seed margin. The testa layers separate during imbibition.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Detarieae

Bruneau et al. (2000) carried out extensive phylogenetic analyses of tribes Amherstieae and Detarieae. They concluded that they form a single monophyletic group. Therefore, they supported Polhill's (1995a, 1995b) decision to unite the two tribes.