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TREE NUMBER 29.
INDIAN ALMOND
(Terminalia catappa)
This tree occurs naturally along coastlines from southern India to northern Australia and nearby Pacific Islands. This is a hardy, fast growing yet cyclone resistant species, much appreciated in tropical zones where its large leaves whorled on horizontal branches form a spread of canopy that may exceed the height of tree, providing a large (and increasingly important) shady spread.
Like other species of Terminalia, the tree is briefly deciduous in the driest months but puts on bright new green growth within days of becoming bare limbed. The large oblong seed has fleshy fruit with a hard casing which poses no challenge to the red-tailed black cockatoo that enjoy the fruit when in season on the Capricorn Coast. The seeds float readily in storm water and tidal flows and will easily germinate when washed on to the bank of a tidal creek.
Indian Almond is probably edible with some treatment and has been used medicinally in India, the Philippines and other countries for improving general health.
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