Common Name: Manila Tamarind

General Information

Pithecellobium dulce is a fast-growing tree with a generally broad and spreading or rounded crown[]. It usually grows from 10 - 15 metres tall, but ranges between 5 and 18 metres[]. Multiple boles are often formed, these are usually short, generally 30 - 50cm in diameter but up to 100cm[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is also grown in South America for its edible fruit and seed, which are sold in local markets[, , ]. It is widely cultivated in the tropics as an ornamental, shade-providing plant that can also be used to make a hedge, and is sometimes grown as a pioneer species, helping to restore native wodland[, , ].

Known Hazards

The bark contains irritating substances, which can cause eye infections[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela; C. America - Panama to Mexico; Caribbean.

Habitat

Dry, brushy or thinly forested plains or hillsides, often in coastal thickets, at elevations from sea level to 500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The tree grows well at low and medium altitudes in both wet and dry areas of the tropics[]. It can tolerate an annual rainfall as low as 140mm and as high as 2,200mm[]. It will grow in areas where the average temperature ranges from 18 - 27.9°c[].
An easily grown plant that can succeed in most soils, it prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position[]. Can also succeed in heavy clay soils[]. The tree can grow on poor soils, on wastelands and even with its roots in brackish water[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[, ]. Tolerates a pH as high as 8.3[].
Plants have escaped from cultivation and become naturalized as a weed in dry places in some areas of the tropics[].
Commences flowering when only 1 - 2 metres tall[].
Trees can reach a height of 12 - 15 metres in about 40 years. In favourable soil conditions, they may reach a height of 10 metres in only 5 - 6 years[].
The trees coppice vigorously and produce root suckers upon injury to the roots[]. Once planted in the field, the tree does not need any treatment other than occasional pruning[].
There are some named varieties[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

The pods contain a sweet, pulpy flesh that surrounds the seed[]. This flesh can be eaten raw, dried, boiled or made into a refreshing beverage that is suggestive of lemonade[, , , ]. The pods are 10cm long by 1.5cm wide[]. When mature, the pods split open at the lower suture exposing the edible pulp. For this reason the fruit does not keep long and has to be consumed within a few days[].

Seeds - raw or eaten in curries[, ].

An oil is obtained from the seed[, ].

Medicinal

The leaves can be used as a plaster to allay pain even from venereal sores, and can relieve convulsions. A paste made from the leaves is applied externally to treat muscular swellings caused by some inflammations[]. The leaves together with salt can cure indigestion and, in larger doses, can also induce abortion[, ].

The bark of the root is a good remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery[, ]. The bark is used medicinally as a febrifuge[].

The fruit pulp is taken orally to stop blood flow in case of haemoptysis[].

The seed juice is inhaled into the nostrils against chest congestion and pulverised seeds are ingested for internal ulcers[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Since it can fix atmospheric nitrogen, and grow on waste and denuded lands, it is used to afforest and conserve poor soils[].
With regular trimming, the tree makes a dense, almost impenetrable thorny hedge that keeps out livestock and forms useful shelter belts; for hedges, seeds may be sown in 2 rows of 15 x 30 cm[]. When trimmed hard it makes an attractive if rather fierce hedge[].
When grown in hedges it is commonly mixed with other species such as Ziziphus mauritiana and Azadirachta indica[].

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the bark[, ].

The bark contains about 25% tannin[, ]. The seeds and leaves are also sources of tannin[, , ].

The wounded bark exudes a mucilaginous reddish-brown gum somewhat like gum arabic[].

The seeds contain about 20% of a greenish oil which, after refining and bleaching, can be used in the making of soap and can substitute kapok and ground nut seed oils[, ].

The heartwood is yellowish or reddish-brown; the sapwood yellowish. The wood is strong and durable yet soft and flexible. It is moderately hard and usually straight grained. It weighs about 590 kg/m³, is easy to saw and finishes to a smooth surface. Not of a very high quality, though it can be used in construction and for posts. The short spines and irregular, crooked growth make it less attractive for wood uses[, ].
Fast-growing and coppices vigorously but due to its smokiness and low calorific value (5 177-5 600 kcal/kg), this species is not of very high quality for fuel[]. In parts of India, it is planted and harvested to fuel brick kilns[].

Propagation

Seed - takes about 2 weeks to germinate[]. No pre-treatment is required - soaking actually reduces germination and heating kills the seeds[]. Best sown into nursery beds and planted out when about 12 months old[]. Plants often self-seed, especially around the margins of cultivated fields where plentiful seeding can be found under mature trees[].
Cuttings.
Air layerng.
Grafting.

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