COMBRETUM FAMILY (COMBRETACEAE) 



184. Almendra, Indian-almond 



This familiar tree commonly planted for shade, 

 ornament, and nuts is introduced, rather than 

 native. It is characterized by: (1) horizontal 

 branches in circles at different levels on the trunk; 

 (2) large leathery leaves broadest toward apex 

 (obovate), turning reddish before falling; (3) 

 many small greenish-white flowers Yie^V-i i^^ch 

 across in narrow lateral clusters; and (4) elliptic, 

 slightly flattened greenish fruits about 2 inches 

 long, each with a hard husk containing a large 

 edible seed or nut. 



Usually a medium-sized tree, to 50 feet in height 

 and 1 foot in trunk diameter, sometimes larger and 

 with slight buttresses. It is evergreen except in 

 areas with a marked dry season. The gray bark 

 is smoothish and thin, becoming slightly fissured. 

 Inner bark is pinkish brown, slightly bitter and 

 astringent. Twigs are brown, finely hairy when 

 young, slender but swollen at leaf scars and the 

 nodes. 



The leaves are alternate but crowded together 

 near ends of twigs and have stout, finely brown 

 hairy petioles %-% inch long. Blades are 6-11 

 inches long and 31/0-6 inches broad, abruptly 

 short-pointed or rounded at apex and gradually 

 narrowed toward the rounded base, not toothed on 

 edges, slightly thickened, the upper surface shiny 

 green or dark green and hairless, and the lower 

 surface paler and often finely brown hairy. 



Flower clusters (narrow racemes) are 2-6 inches 

 long, with numerous, mostly short-stalked, slightly 

 fragrant flowers, mostly male and a few bisexual 

 flowers near base (polv.<ramous). Both kinds have 

 a greenish-white or liarht brown, hairv calyx with 

 cup-shaped tube and 5 or 6 pointed, spreading 

 lobes ViG lontr and bearing twice as many small sta- 

 mens near base. In addition the bisexual or fe- 

 male flowers, which are stalkless, have a slender 

 style and a narrow basal tube (hypanthium) %e 

 inch long, brownish green and finely hairy, resem- 

 bling a stalk but containing the inferior 1-celled 

 ovary. 



The fruits (drupes) are about 1 inch broad, 

 poin<^ed. sliirhtlv flattened and with 1 or 2 nar- 

 rowly winged edges, light brown at maturity. The 

 thin outer layer is sliffhtlv sour and can be eaten. 

 Inside the hard fibrous hu^k there is a light brown, 

 thick, hard stone containing an oily seed or nut 

 about V^ inches long and % inch broad, somewhat 

 like the true almond. Flowering and fruiting 

 nearly through the year. 



The heartwood is reddish brown with slightly 

 darker stripes, and the sapwood liffhter in color. 

 The wood is hard, moderately heavy (specific 

 gravity 0.59), moderately strong, tough, medium- 

 textured, and with irregular and often interlocked 



Terminalia catappa L.* 



grain. It is very susceptible to attack by dry-wood 

 termites. Rate of air-seasoning is rapid, and 

 amount of degrade is moderate. Machining char- 

 acteristics are as follows: planing is vei-y poor; 

 shaping, boring, and mortising are fair; turning is 

 poor ; and sanding and resistance to screw splitting 

 are good. 



Local uses are for posts and fuel. However, this 

 attractive wood if carefully handled in machining 

 would be suitable for millwork, furniture, veneer, 

 and cabinetwork. Elsewhere it has been recom- 

 mended for boatbuilding, general construction, 

 bridge timbers, crossties, flooring, and boxes and 

 crates. 



The bark, roots, astringent green fruits, and 

 leaves contain tannin and have been used in tan- 

 ning. A black dye serving for ink has been ob- 

 tained from bark, fruits, and foliage also. An oil 

 lias been extracted from the seeds. 



Planted chiefly for shade and ornament and for 

 the edible seeds, and growing rapidly. One of the 

 common roadside trees in Puerto Rico, attractive 

 for its peculiar branching and the reddish-tinged 

 old leaves. Trees are extensively planted along 

 sandy seashores, being hardy and salt tolerant, 

 though reportedly not resistant to hurricanes or 

 storm winds. A thrips insect attacks the trees 

 generally in autumn and winter, causing the leaves 

 to turn yellowish or whitish and to fall and thus 

 making the leafless trees less suitable for shade. 



Naturalized in Puerto Rico, especially on the 

 sandy soils and dunes along the coasts, but exten- 

 sively planted and escaping from cultivation in 

 various places. Also in Mona, Vieques, St. Croix, 

 St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda. 



R.vNc.E. — Native of East Indies and Oceanica 

 and widely planted and naturalized in tropical 

 reirions. Southern Florida including Florida 

 Keys, Bermuda, and throuerhout West Indies. 

 Also from Mexico to Peru and Brazil. 



Other common n.vmes. — almendro (Puerto 

 Rico, Spanish) ; almond, West-Indian-almond 

 (Virgin Islands) ; almendro de la India (Domini- 

 can Renublic, Cuba, Colombia) ; alcornoque 

 (Costa Rica) ; almendron (Venezuela) ; almendro 

 americano (Colombia) ; castana (Peru) ; Indian- 

 almond, tropical-almond, West-Indian-almond 

 (United States. English) ; almond (British West 

 Indies. British Honduras. British Guiana) ; aman- 

 dier des Indes. amandier tropical, zanmande 

 (Haiti); amandier, amandier - pays (Guade- 

 loupe) ; amandier de Cayenne (Guayana Fran- 

 cesa) ; manguel, wilde amandel (Dutch West In- 

 dies) ; amanda, amandelboom (Surinam) ; amen- 

 doeira. chapeo de sol. guarda-sol, castaiiola 

 (Brazil). 



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