136 



Leguminosae. 



Tamarindus. Tamarind. 

 (Family Leguminosae). 



Large round-topped rough- 

 barked tropical tree: evergreen. 

 Twigs rather slender, zig-zag, 

 nearly terete: pith rather small, 

 rounded, continuous. Buds soli- 

 tary, sessile, triangular, with 2 or 

 3 exposed brown scales, the end- 

 bud lacking. Leaf-scars alternate, 

 2-ranked, abruptly much elevat- 

 ed, half-round: stipule vestiges or 

 scars more or less evident at top 

 of the leaf-cushion. Leaves ab- 

 ruptly pinnate with about a dozen 

 pairs of inequilateral entire leaf- 

 lets. Fruit, when present, a short 

 legume with acid pulp surround- 

 ing the few seeds. 



The tamarind is sometimes 

 planted as an avenue tree in trop- 

 ical countries, and its round top 

 and dense fleecy foliage make it 

 unusually effective for this use. 



Like the chick-pea, its foliage is reputed to produce an 

 acid which renders the dew or rain that drips from them, 

 or water that stands on them after they have fallen, so ex- 

 tremely caustic as to disintegrate fabrics on which it falls; 

 and the Hindus are said to be afraid to sleep under the trees. 

 Twigs dull brown, sparingly soft-hairy. T. indica. 



