PITHECELLOBIUM

Pithecellobium Mart., Flora 20 (2 Beibl.): 114. 1837; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 61; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org

Trees or shrubs with spinescent stipules or axillary spines. Leaves bipinnate; petiole with a gland above the junction of pinnae; leaflets 1-3 pairs, rarely more. Inflorescence head or spike often racemosely or paniculately arranged. Flowers generally sessile, actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous, rarely 4- or 6-merous, hypogynous. Sepals usually 5, rarely 4 or 6, connate, campanulate, shortly toothed, valvate. Petals 5, sometimes 4 or 6, connate, puberulent without or glabrous, 5-lobed. Stamens indefinite, monoadelphous into a tube at base, much exserted. Monocarpellary, ovary unilocular, usually puberulous, sessile or shortly stipitate, ovules numerous, placentation marginal; style thin; stigma capitate. Pods spirally twisted, circinate or curved or rarely straight, compressed or convex, in most species dark brown outside, reddish orange within, dehiscing from below splitting into 2 valves. Seeds brown or blackish, compressed, ovate or rounded, embedded in a scanty pulp.

23 species

Pithecellobium dulce

Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth. in Hook., Lond. J. Bot. 3: 199. 1844; Baker in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 302. 1879; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1: 200. 1918 (Reprint 1973); Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 61; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org; kerelaplants.in; Inga dulcis (Roxb.) Willd, Sp. Pl. 4: 1005. 1806; Mimosa dulcis Roxb., Pl. Corom. 1: 67. t. 99. 1798.

A medium-sized evergreen tree armed with pairs of straight stipular spines, up to 2 cm long; branchlets densely tomentose. Leaves alternate, bipinnate; rachis 1-2.5 cm long, adaxially grooved, pulvinate at base; pinnae 1 pair, rachillae 4-10 mm long, slender, adaxially grooved; rachis and rachillae prolonged apically into a short soft appendage; leaflets two on each pinna, 2-4.5 cm x 0.2-2.5 cm, elliptic-oblong or obovate, base round, oblique, apex obtuse or emarginate, reticulate veins raised abaxially; solitary gland at the top on upper side of rachis and rachillae. Inflorescence small globose, short pedunculate heads arranged in long panicles racemes, peduncles up to 2 cm long. Flowers sessile, actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous, hypogynous, greenish white, ca. 0.5 mm across. Calyx 1-1.5 mm long, funnelform, pilose, 5-toothed, teeth ca. 0.5 mm long, triangular. Corolla 3-4 mm long, petals united below the middle, 5-lobed, lobes ca. 1 mm long, greenish yellow. Stamens indefinite, much exserted, ca. 9 mm long, monoadelphous at the base into a tube; anthers bithecous, small, ca. 0.1 mm long, eglandular, greenish pale. Monocarpellary, ovary unilocular, shortly stipitate, puberulous, ovules many, placentation marginal; style light purple-pink, nearly as long as stamens, filiform; stigma small, simple. Pods blackish-brown, 10-13 cm x 1.2-1.3 cm, turgid, flat, twisted into 1-3 circles, sutures indented between the seeds. Seeds 5-10, half or completely enveloped in pink or white pulpy aril (aril edible). Seeds dark brown, shiny, ovoid-ellipsoid, ca. 6 mm x 4 mm, hard, with pleurogram (U-shaped line).

Flowering and Fruiting: October- April
Common Names: Manila Tamarind, Madras Thorn, Sweet Tamarind; Jangali Jalebi (Hindi)