Indian Almond, Tropical Almond Tree
Terminalia catappa

Family: Combretaceae

What it is like

Terminalia catappa, otherwise known as Indian Almond, Tropical Almond Tree, or Java Almond, is a large tree up to 40 m in height that grows mainly in Asia, Africa, and Australia. It is deciduous with its trunk, can either be straight or twisted, often buttressed up to 3 m tall. The leaves are long, smooth, shiny, and turn red then fall off twice a year. Greenish-white flowers are in a spike at the end of branches. The edible fruits are fibrous, with a tender skin and a thin layer of subacid juicy flesh. They are green and turn red upon ripening. Various plant parts are used medicinally to treat dysentery, leprosy, coughs, jaundice, indigestion, headaches, colic, pain and numbness, fever, diarrhea, sores, skin diseases, diabetes, etc. The seeds can be either raw or cooked. It contains oil and are high in zinc content. The oil can be used in cooking and in making soap. The trunk is a source of gum and yellow and black dye. Likewise, fruits yield black dye. The wood, though susceptible to termite attacks, is moderately hard, moderately heavy, strong, and somewhat durable. It is used for cabinet work, construction, boat, bridges, floors, panelling, boxes and crates, and others. A fast growing species, T. catalpa is grown from seeds.

Terminalia catappa is a deciduous Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 35 m (114ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid, very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Height (m): 30

Where it is found

A mid-canopy tree in areas just inland from ocean beaches, near river mouths, and on coastal plains. These areas are typically flat, but they may have dunes or rocky bluffs. Sandy or rocky beaches.

Africa - Maagascar; E. Asia - China, India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea to Australia and the Pacific.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Andamans, Antigua & Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, China, Cook Islands, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, FSM, Gabon, Ghana, Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia*, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Lesser Antilles, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nicaragua, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Polynesia, Ponape, Puerto Rico, Samoa, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Society Islands, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South America, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Suriname, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, Yap.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Seed - raw or cooked. The almond-flavoured seeds can be eaten out of hand or roasted. They can be chopped and added to cookies, bread mixes, dessert fillings, sweets, soups and stews. The seed contains about 50% oil. The seed is 3 - 4 cm long, 3 - 5 mm thick and enclosed in a thick shell that is difficult to crack. The seeds are a rich source of zinc. The seeds yield 38 - 54% of a colourless, bland tasting yellow semi-drying oil that is used in cooking. Rather similar to almond oil, but less prone to become rancid. The fruits have a tender skin and a thin layer of subacid juicy flesh. It is often fibrous and not very tasty in spite of the pleasant smell. The sweetish, fibrous flesh is palatable when very young, and is usually liked by children.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Medicine

Rating: 2

Various parts of the tree, such as the leaves and fruit, contain tannins and are astringent. The leaves, crushed with Dacrydium elatum and rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus, are combined to treat dysentery. The red leaves act as a vermifuge, while the sap of young leaves, cooked with oil from the kernel, is used to treat leprosy. The juice of the leaves is ingested for coughs. An infusion of the leaves is used to treat jaundice. The leaves are used to treat indigestion. The young leaves are used to cure headaches and colic. Externally, the leaves may be rubbed on breasts to cure pain or, when heated, may be applied to numb parts of the body. They may be used as a dressing for swollen rheumatic joints. The leaves, applied to the head and sides, are refreshing and sudorific. Leaves, bark and fruit are used to treat yaws. The bark and root bark are useful for bilious fever, diarrhoea, thrush, and as a remedy for sores and abscesses. The fluid from the bark is used to treat diabetes and as a tonic. An infusion of the bark is used to treat stomach ache and also as an emetic for infants. Externally, the bark is used to treat sores, pimples and fungal skin diseases. The kernel of the fruit mixed with beeswax stops putrid exudation and bloody faeces. It is recommended as a mild laxative and a galactagogue for women, but too frequent use causes diarrhoea.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Emetic: Induces vomiting.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Leprosy: Used to treat leprosy - a chronic bacterial infection of the skin and superficial nerves (in the skin) caused by Mycobacterium leprae.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.

Other

Rating: 3

Seaside tree. Public open space. Xerophytic. Agroforestry Uses: The tree's vast root system binds together both sands and poor soils. It has a heavy leaf fall and so is a good provider of mulch for the protection of the soil. It is a promising species for the reforestation of sandy areas. Planting the tree can help eradicate Imperata cylindrica and other unwanted aggressive grasses. Other Uses The trunk is a source of gum. The oil from the seed is used for making soap, but its industrial use is limited by the difficulty in extracting the kernel. Bark, leaves, roots and fruit are all important sources of tannin with the astringent bark containing 9 - 23% tannin. The outer shell is also rich in tannin. It is used in leather preparation and as a base for inks; sometimes the roots and fruits are used for the same purposes. A black dye that is used to make ink is extracted from the bark and fruit. A yellow-green dye is obtained from the leaves. The trunk is a source of yellow and black dye. Wood chips soaked in water give a yellow colour. A black dye is obtained from the fruit. The heartwood varies from light to dark brown to reddish brown, and often with irregular darker and lighter belts; it is not clearly demarcated from the lighter coloured sapwood. The texture is fine to coarse, the grain crossed and often curly and twisted. The wood is moderately hard; moderately heavy; strong and pliable; somewhat durable, but very susceptible to termite damage. It seasons well and works easily. A good quality timber, it is used for cabinet wook, furniture and for the construction of buildings, boats, bridges, floors, panelling, boxes, crates, planks, carts, wheelbarrows, barrels and water troughs.

Containers: Plants, such as gourds, that can be used as containers. Does not include baskets or containers made from wood.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Ink: Plants that can be used as an ink.

Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Soil conditioner: Plants grown to improve the structure of the soil. See also Green manures.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Fodder: Insect: Plants grown for useful fodder insects.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Fodder: Insect: Plants grown for useful fodder insects.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Plants grow best in the lowland tropics at elevations below 800 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean maximum and minimum annual temperatures are within the range 21 - 32°c, though it can tolerate 10 - 36°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 3,400mm, though can tolerate from 700 - 4,200mm. Succeeds in any moderately fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny position. Prefers sands and loamy sands, though it also does well on silts, loam, and even clays if the drainage is good. Tolerates saline soils. Prefers soil that are neutral to moderately alkaline and rich in bases, however it will also grow in strongly acid soils. A particularly useful plant for coastal gardens, being tolerant of salt spray. Established plants are drought tolerant. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, but tolerates 4.3 - 8. Plants are fast growing, often in excess of 1 metre a year when young. Trees can yield two crops a year in some areas, and in places have been known to exhibit more or less continuous fruiting. A tree may yield around 5 kg of kernels per year. There has been some selection in cultivating forms with larger seeds. The tree sheds its leaves all at once, quite suddenly, usually twice a year (January or February and July or August). Unlike most tropical trees, the leaves turn first yellow, then vivid red before falling, giving a well-marked 'autumn colour'. The inconspicuous flowers have a sweet, delicate fragrance. Various species of biting and stinging ants have been found inhabiting hollow twigs on this tree. Flowering Time: Late Winter/Early Spring Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall. Bloom Color: Cream/Tan Inconspicuous/none (white). Spacing: 15-20 ft. (4.7-6 m).

Propagating it: Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in cold water. About 70% of ripe seed germinate in about 20 days. Seeds remain viable for a long time and germinate readily, even after floating in water for long distances.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Various species of biting and stinging ants have been found inhabiting hollow twigs on this tree.

Its other names

Local names

aua, Adamarram, Ai-kalesi, Alita, Alite, Almendro, Arete, Arite, As, Autera'a, Badam, Badamuchettu, Bang, Bangla-badam, Beydaan, Chambak barang, Coastal almond, Dalisai, Deshi badam, Deshibadam, Fetau, Grahadruma, Harman, Hu-kwang, Kadoru, Kal, Kalihu, Kalisai, Kamani haole, Kamani, Kauariki, Kauriki, Kel, Ketapang, Koa'i'i, Kodal, Kotal, Kotamba, Kotang, Kottai, Kungu, Lenga, Lingtak, Mai'i, Malabar almond, Miich, Mkungu, Myrobalan, Naklise, Natapoa, Natvadom, Nyia nyingaa, Oko, Salisa, Selie, Ta pang, Talasai, Talia suka, Talie, Talima, Talisai, Talisai, Talisay, Talise, Talisi, Tamanu, Tangie, Taraire, Tatalise, Tavola lato, Tavola, Tavola tivi, Te kunikun, Telie, Tepop, Tipop, Tropical almond, Vedam, White bombway, Yalisai, abrofo nkatie, almendro, almendro de la india, almenron, almond-indian, amandier, amandier de gambie, amendoeira, amendoeira-da-india, amendoeira-da-índia, badam, badamier, bastard almond, beach almond, bengal almond, bodanmyen, castanhola, chapéu-de-sol, country-almond, ebelebo, gerte tutab, hamánasi, indian almond, indian-almond, indischer mandelbaum, katappenbaum, malabar almond, malabar-almond, mhandaya, mkungu, sea almond, sea-almond, singapore almond, talisay tree, talisay tree, umbrella tree|kottamba / kottan, tropical almond, tropical-almond, tropisk mandel, umbrella tree, west indian almond, white bombwe, zanmande.

Synonyms

Terminalia intermedia Bertero ex Spreng. Terminalia latifolia Blanco Non Sw. Terminalia mauritiana B

Indian Almond, Tropical Almond Tree Terminalia catappa