Terminalia catappa- Desi Badam, Indian almond, Bengal almond, Singapore almond , Malabar almond, Tropical almond, Sea almond, and Umbrella tree
J.M. Garg
Terminalia catappa is a large tropical tree in the Family Combretaceae. The tree's origin is controversial, and could have been India, Malay peninsula, or New Guinea. Common names include Indian almond, Bengal almond, Singapore almond , Malabar almond, Tropical almond, Sea almond, and Umbrella tree.
It grows to 35 m tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and horizontal branches. As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more flattened to form a spreading, vase shape. The leaves are large, 15-25 cm long and 10-14 cm broad, ovoid, glossy dark green and leathery. They are dry-season deciduous; before falling, they turn pinkish-reddish or yellow-brown, due to pigments such as violaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
The flowers are monoecious, with distinct male and female flowers on the same tree. Both are 1 cm diameter, white to greenish, inconspicuous with no petals; they are produced on axillary or terminal spikes. The fruit is a drupe 5-7 cm long and 3-5.5 cm broad, green at first, then yellow and finally red when ripe, containing a single seed.
Cultivation and uses
Terminalia catappa is widely grown in tropical regions of the world as an ornamental tree, grown for the deep shade its large leaves provide. The fruit is edible, tasting slightly acidic.
The wood is red, solid and has high water resistance; it has been utilized in Polynesia for making canoes.
The leaves contain several flavonoids (like kamferol or quercetin), several tannins (such as punicalin, punicalagin or tercatin), saponines and phytosterols. Due to this chemical richness, the leaves (and also the bark) are used in different traditional medicines for various purposes. For instances, in Taiwan fallen leaves are used as a herb to treat liver diseases. In Suriname, a tea made from the leaves is prescribed against dysentery and diarrhea. It is also thought that the leaves contain agents for prevention of cancers (although they have no demonstrated anticarcinogenic properties) and antioxidant as well as anticlastogenic characteristics.
In fish keeping the leaves are also used to lower the ph and heavy metals of the waters. It has been utilized in this way by Betta Breeders in Thailand for many years. Local hobbyists also use for conditioning the betta's water for breeding and harding of the scales.
Here is also another good link:http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/sea_almond.htm
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With regards,
J.M.Garg
"We often ignore the beauty around us"
For learning about our trees & plants, please visit/ join Google e-group (Indiantreepix) http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en
For my Birds, Butterflies, Trees, Lanscape pictures etc., visit http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/J.M.Garg
Vasant Barve
layered stucture. Ripe fruits are red and bats eat outer cover and
discard seeds for us. Even children enjoy the outer portion. We sould
break the nut after it is dry. After about three to four days. One
gets tasty thin long almond. If you let it dry for very long duration
the almond almost vanishes by drying. This one of the few trees
showing fall colors. Others are mahogany & mahua.
Dr Barve
On 3/11/08, J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com> wrote:
> It looks really nice with reddish hues before the leaves fall down. Pictures
> taken on 30/1/07 & 16/2/07 (of flowering branch) in Kolkata. This tree is
> not so uncommon here in Kolkata. It's now flowering in Kolkata. Any feedback
> from other places?
>
> *Terminalia catappa* is a large
> tropical<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropics>tree in the Family
> Combretaceae <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combretaceae>. The tree's origin
> is controversial, and could have been
> India<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India>,
> Malay peninsula <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malay_peninsula>, or New
> Guinea <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea>. Common names include
> *Indian
> almond*, *Bengal almond*, *Singapore almond* , *Malabar almond*, *Tropical
> almond*, *Sea almond*, and *Umbrella tree*.
>
> It grows to 35 m tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and horizontal
> branches. As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more flattened to form a
> spreading, vase shape. The leaves <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf> are
> large, 15-25 cm long and 10-14 cm broad, ovoid, glossy dark green and
> leathery. They are dry-season
> deciduous<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous>;
> before falling, they turn pinkish-reddish or yellow-brown, due to
> pigments<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigment>such as
> violaxanthin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violaxanthin>,
> lutein<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutein>,
> and zeaxanthin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeaxanthin>.
>
> The flowers <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower> are
> monoecious<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_sexuality>,
> with distinct male and female flowers on the same tree. Both are 1 cm
> diameter, white to greenish, inconspicuous with no petals; they are produced
> on axillary or terminal spikes. The
> fruit<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit>is a
> drupe <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drupe> 5-7 cm long and 3-5.5 cm broad,
> green at first, then yellow and finally red when ripe, containing a single
> seed <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed>.
>
> Cultivation and uses
>
> *Terminalia catappa* is widely grown in
> tropical<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropics>regions of the world as
> an ornamental
> tree <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornamental_tree>, grown for the deep
> shade its large leaves provide. The fruit is edible, tasting slightly
> acidic.
>
> The wood <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood> is red, solid and has high
> water resistance; it has been utilized in
> Polynesia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesia>for making
> canoes <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canoe>.
>
> The leaves contain several
> flavonoids<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavonoid>(like
> kamferol<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kamferol&action=edit&redlink=1>or
> quercetin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercetin>), several
> tannins<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin>(such as
> punicalin<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Punicalin&action=edit&redlink=1>,
> punicalagin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punicalagin> or
> tercatin<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tercatin&action=edit&redlink=1>),
> saponines<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saponine&action=edit&redlink=1>and
> phytosterols <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytosterol>. Due to this
> chemical richness, the leaves (and also the bark) are used in
> different traditional
> medicines <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_medicine> for various
> purposes. For instances, in Taiwan
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan>fallen leaves are used as a herb
> to treat
> liver <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver> diseases. In
> Suriname<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suriname>,
> a tea made from the leaves is prescribed against
> dysentery<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysentery>and
> diarrhea <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diarrhea>. It is also thought that
> the leaves contain agents for prevention of
> cancers<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer>(although they have no
> demonstrated anticarcinogenic properties) and
> antioxidant <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant> as well as
> anticlastogenic<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anticlastogenic&action=edit&redlink=1>characteristics.
>
> In fish keeping the leaves are also used to lower the ph and heavy metals of
> the waters. It has been utilized in this way by Betta Breeders in Thailand
> for many years. Local hobbyists also use for conditioning the betta's water
> for breeding and harding of the scales.
> Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_catappa"
>
> Here is also another good link:
> http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/sea_almond.htm
>
> --
> With regards,
> J.M.Garg
> "We often ignore the beauty around us"
> For learning about our trees & plants, please visit/ join Google e-group
> (Indiantreepix) http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en
> For my Birds, Butterflies, Trees, Lanscape pictures etc., visit
> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/J.M.Garg
>
> >
>
--
Dr. Vasant Barve
# 9 Sneha Nagar 1st Cross, Amrutahalli, Main
Road Byatrayan Pura Bangalore 560 092,
Phone (R) 080 2353 3244, (M) 99455 99198