e-Key v3 - Tamarindus
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae - Amherstieae - Tamarindus L.

Description :

  • Unarmed evergreen trees
  • Leaves paripinnate; leaflets opposite, in 10-18(-21) pairs, almost sessile, asymmetric basally; stipules minute, caducous
  • Flowers in lax terminal and lateral racemes; bracteoles 2, completely enclosing young flower bud but soon falling off
  • Sepals 4, imbricate, membranous, calyx tube shortly elongate-turbinate
  • Petals unequal; upper 3 imbricate, ± equal in length; lower 2 minute, setiform, below staminal tube
  • Stamens : filaments united ± halfway into a pubescent tube terminating in 3 upcurved anther-bearing filaments alternating with 5 sterile teeth; filaments short; anthers oblong
  • Ovary ± pubescent, stalked, with stalk adnate to calyx tube; ovules many; style elongated, thickened, with subcapitate, truncate, terminal stigma
  • Pod oblong or linear, incurved, thick, subcompressed, indehiscent, pulpy, septate between seeds
  • Seeds ± compressed, with continuous-margined areole on each face
  • x = 12 (aneuploids)

Nomenclature:

  • Tamarindus L.
    • Linnaeus: 34 (1753)
    • Brenan: 151 (1967)
    • Ross: 37 (1977)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 1: Tamarindus indica L., Asia and Africa
  • Southern Africa : Isolated specimens are recorded in North-West and N KwaZulu-Natal, indicating chance introductions or relics

References:

  • BRENAN, J.P.M. 1967. Flora of tropical East Africa . Leguminosae (part 2). Caesalpinioideae
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1753. Species plantarum , edn 1. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • ROSS, J.H. 1977. Fabaceae . Caesalpinioideae . Flora of southern Africa 16,2