TAMARINDUS INDICA. THE TAMARIND TREE. 
Class XVI. MONADELPHIA.— Order I. TRIANDRIA. 
Natural Order, LEGUMINOSA3. THE PEA TRIBE. 
Fig. («) Represents the Pod. 
The Tamarind-tree, the tetul of Upper Hindustan, is likewise a native of Egypt and Arabia, as well as of the 
East Indies. In the West India islands, where it has become naturalized, it is cultivated for the sake both 
of its shade and its acid, cooling, highly grateful fruit ; the pulp of which, mixed and boiled with sugar, 
forms an important article of commerce. It is very abundant in Jamaica, growing to a vast bulk, and thrives 
well in the Savannahs, but most luxuriantly in a deep rich brick mould. There is perhaps only one known 
species, the subject of the present article ; but the West Indian Tamarind, believed to be only a variety of 
the East Indian one, differs so much in the form of its fruit, and the number of its seeds, that by some 
authors it is considered as specifically distinct. 
The stem is lofty, and of considerable thickness, terminated by spreading branches, bearing tufts of 
alternate, abruptly-pinnate, smooth, bright green leaves, each composed of many pairs of elliptic-oblong, 
sessile, entire leaflets, about half an inch in length, and one sixth of an inch broad, rather glaucous beneath. 
It is observed, that these leaflets close at the approach of evening: or in cold moist weather, like those of 
the sensitive plant. The flowers are in simple clusters, terminating the short lateral branches : the calyx is 
inferior, of one leaf, divided into four deep, ovate, acute, deciduous, straw-coloured segments ; the petals 
three, yellowish, beautifully variagated with red veins ; ovate, acute, concave, wavy, reflexed, the length of 
the calyx, and inserted into the tube. The filaments are also three, awl-shaped, purplish, as long as the 
corolla, connected at the base, curved upwards, inserted into the mouth of the calyx, in the vacancy opposite 
to the uppermost petal, and bearing large, ovate, incumbent anthers. Besides these, there are six or seven 
rudiments of stamens, five or more of them setaceous threads, destitute of anthers. The germen is oblong, 
compressed, incurved, furnished with an awl-shaped style, rather longer than the stamens, and an obtuse 
stigma. The pods are oblong, compressed, with a joint, 1 -celled, and of a dull brown colour when ripe. 
Those from the West Indies, from two to five inches long, with two, three, or four seeds ; but those from 
the East Indies are almost twice as long, and contain eight or ten and even twelve seeds. The seeds in both 
are roundish, somewhat angular, flattened, hard, polished, with a central circumscribed disc at each side, 
and lodged in a quantity of soft pulp. 
This tree, which is common in almost every part of Hindustan, as well as in the West Indies, grows 
most luxuriantly in all the eastern islands. The soil of Java is said to bring the fruit to very high perfection; 
but the Tamarinds from the depending island of Madura are reputed to be the best ; they are of a dark 
colour, with a large proportion of pulp to the seeds. The natives of India consider it to be dangerous to 
sleep under the Tamarind-tree, especially during the night ; “and grass,” says Dr. Ainslie, “or herbs of any 
kind, are seldom seen growing in such situations, and never with luxuriance ;” which facts have been lately 
confirmed to us by a gentleman, who spent many years in India. 
Long tells us in his valuable history of Jamaica, that “the fruit or pods are gathered in June, July, and 
August, according to their maturity. The pods must be fully ripe, which is known by their fragility, or 
easily breaking on a small pressure between the finger and thumb. The fruit taken out of the pod, and 
cleared from fragments of shells, is placed in casks, in layers, and the boiling syrup from the tache or first 
copper in the boiling house is poured in, just before it begins to granulate, till the cask is filled ; the syrup 
prevades every part quite to the bottom, and when cool, the cask is headed for sale. The more elegant 
method is with sugar well clarified with eggs, till a clear transparent syrup is formed, which gives to the 
fruit a much pleasanter flavour.” The East Indian tamarind differs from that of the West Indies, not only 
in the structure of the fruit, but in the relative sweetness ; for the East Indian tamarinds are preserved 
without sugar, and exported to Europe in this form. Mr. Crawford says, that those exported from one part 
of the Archipelago to another, are merely dried in the sun, but those sent to Europe are cured with salt. 
