Tamarind / Indian date palm

Seeds: 4  / Botanical name: Tamarindus indica

Graceful blossoms and pinnate leaves that fold inwards at night

The tamarind tree, also known as the sour date or Indian date (tamra = date and hindi = Indian), is an evergreen tree with gray-black bark. The bark of young twigs is hairy. Its oblong leaflets fold together at night but do not react to touch. The flower buds are red. The perianth has pale yellow sepals and three yellow petals with red markings and green edges. The stamens, fused together in the lower half, are present only in the three fertile stamens. Tamarinds are the cinnamon-colored pods that develop from the flowers of the tamarind tree. The tamarind pulp, rich in tartaric acid, is a popular spice and ingredient in chutneys in Indian, South American, and African cuisine. It also became an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce, well-known in Europe. The tamarind tree is native to East Africa. From there it spread to India and, as a cultivated plant, further into the drier regions of the tropics and subtropics in South and East Asia.