Wild Tamarind (Noun)
Meaning 1
Common thorny tropical American tree having terminal racemes of yellow flowers followed by sickle-shaped or circinate edible pods and yielding good timber and a yellow dye and mucilaginous gum.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
A tree of the West Indies and Florida and Mexico; resembles tamarind and has long flat pods.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The wild tamarind, also known as the Leucaena leucocephala, is a fast-growing tree that can grow up to 15 meters tall in ideal conditions.
- Wild tamarind trees have long flat pods that resemble those of the tamarind tree but have a slightly thicker and harder outer covering.
- Wild tamarind seeds have a hard testa, which requires some form of pretreatment to allow water entry and initiate germination.
- In Mexico, wild tamarind wood is used as firewood, posts, and building poles, and the leaves and young shoots are also used for medicinal purposes.
- Under full sun, a young wild tamarind tree can grow as tall as a meter per year, but its growth will be stunted in partial shade.