FABACEiE. 



263 



Fig. 136. 



East, and the other to the West Indies, but the only marked difference be- 

 tween them is in the pod, which is much longer than broad, and many-seeded 

 in the first, and only twice to three times broader than long, and few-seeded 

 in the latter. As the tree is not a native of the West Indies, this difference 

 is probably owing to a variation produced by cultivation and change of cli- 

 mate. 



T. indica, Linn, — The only species. 



Linn., Sp. PL 48 ; Woodvilie, iii. t. 166 ; Stephenson and Churchill, ii. 

 87 ; Lindley, Fl. Med. 266. 



Common Name. — Tamarind tree. 



Foreign Names. — Tamarinier, Fr. ; Tamarindo, It. ; Tamarindenbaum, 

 Ger. 



Description. — A large tree with spread- 

 ing branches, bearing tufts of alternate, 

 abruptly-pinnate leaves, composed of 

 many pairs of smooth, bright-green, el- 

 liptic-oblong, sessile, entire leaflets. 

 These leaflets close in the evening, or in 

 cold, moist weather, like those of the 

 sensitive plant. The flowers are in sim- 

 ple racemes, terminating the short, late- 

 ral branches ; the calyx is somewhat 

 tubular at base, bilabiate, the upper lip 

 three-partite, the lower broad, two-tooth- 

 ed. The petals are three, yellowish, va- 

 riegated with red veins, ovate, acute, 

 concave, about as long as the calyx. The 

 stamens are ten, of which seven are very 

 short and sterile, and three long, pur- 

 plish, curved, united at base, bearing 

 large, ovate anthers. The ovary is ob- 

 long, compressed, incurved, and supports 

 a subulate style with an obtuse stigma. 

 The legume is oblong, compressed, one- 

 celled, two to twelve-seeded. Those 

 from the West Indies are from two to 

 five inches long, and contain two to four 

 seeds, whilst the East Indian are double 

 this length, and have six to twelve 

 seeds. The seeds are roundish, flat- 

 tened, hard, polished, and are lodged in 

 a soft pulp. 



The tamarind is very common in most parts of the East Indies, and is 

 said to grow in great perfection in Java, and more especially in the island of 

 Madura. It is also extensively naturalized in the West Indies, but the fruit 

 is not equal to the East Indian in the quantity of saccharine matter contained 

 in the pulp, for the latter are preserved without the addition of sugar, whilst 

 this cannot be done with the other. Mr. Crawford states that those exported 

 from one of the Indian islands to another, are merely dried in the sun, but 

 those which are sent to Europe are cured with salt. In India it is deemed 

 dangerous to sleep under this tree, and the observation made by Ainslie that 

 " grass or herbs of any kind are seldom seen growing in such situations, and 

 never with luxuriance," is also applicable to the West Indies. 



The part used is the pod ; this is sent to Europe from the East Indies, 

 both dried and preserved ; from the West Indies, whence the supply for this 

 country is obtained, always preserved. This, says Long (Hist. Jamaica)) 



T. indica. 

 a Set of stamens. J Style. 



c Pod. 



