224 ' LEGUMINOSyE. 



Those of G. grandis L. f. (C. brasiliana Lamarck), a tree of Central 

 America and Brazil, are of much larger size, showing when broken 

 transversely an elliptic outline, whose longer diameter exceeds an inch. 

 The valves have very prominent sutures and transverse branching veins. 

 The pulp is bitter and astringent. 



The legumes of Cassia moschata H B K.,^ a tree 30 to 40 feet high, 



growing in New Granada and known there as Canafistola de inirgar, 



bear aldose resemblance to those of Cassia Fistula L., except that they 



are a little smaller and rather less i-egularly straight. They coutaui a 



sweetish astringent pulp of a bright brown hue. When crushed and 



exposed to the heat of a water-bath, they emit a pleasant odour like 



sandal- wood. The pulp is coloured dark blackish green by perchloride 

 of iron. 



TAMARINDI PULPA. 



4 



Tamarindus, Fructus Tamarindi; Tamarinds; Y.Tamarins; 



G. Tamarinden. 



Botanical Origin— Tamarindus indica L.— The tamarind is a 

 large handsome tree, growing to a height of 60 to 80 feet, and having 

 abruptly pinnate leaves of 10 to 20 pairs of small oblong leaflets, con- 

 stitutmg an abundant and umbrageous foliage. Its purplish flower buds 

 and fragrant, red-veined, white blossoms, ultimately assuming a yellow- 

 ish tmge, contribute to its beautiful aspect and cause it to be generally 

 cultivated m tropical countries. 



1 oo T; '^''^^^^'^^ appears to be truly indigenous to Tropical Africa between 

 12 N. and 18" S. lat. It grows not only in the Upper Nile regions 

 Cbennaar, Kordofan, Abyssinia), but also in some of the remotest dis- 



Australia. 



Mill] 



It is found throughout India, and as it has Sanskrit names it may 

 even be really wild in at least the southern parts of the peninsula. It 

 grows in the Indian islands, and Crawfurd'' has adduced reasons to show 

 that it IS probably a true native of Java. The mediaeval Arabian 

 authors describe it as growing in Yemen, India, and Nigritia. . 



i he tamarind has been naturalized in Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico. 



01 It as nuper . . . ad eas oras translatar It abounds in the ^V est 

 Indies where it was also introduced together with ginger by tfie 

 Spaniards at an early period. The tree found in these islands bears 

 Shorter and fewer-seeded pods than that of India, and hence was tor- 

 merly regarded as a distinct species, Tamarindus occidentalis Gartn. 



History-The tamarind was unknown to the ancient Greeks 

 ana Komans; nor have we any evidence that the Egyptians were 



P ' ^i^^'pLZ, ^'T- ^'"°'^- ^^^^- 161. Vegetation de VAn^lralie, Melb., 18||- »• 



t.xposition mtercolonialo. ^.Vo/,, ,,„. /„ ^„/,,,^, ;„-,;^„-^^ RomiP. 1651. S3. 



