Common name: Indian Almond • Hindi: जंगली बादाम Jangli badam • Marathi: जंगली बादाम Jangli badam • Tamil: Nattuvadumai, Vadumai • Malayalam: Ketapag • Telugu: Tapasataruvu • Kannada: Kadubadami • Oriya: Desiyobadamo • Gujarati: Badamalili • Sanskrit: Kshudrabija, Desabadama
Botanical name: Terminalia catappa Family: Combretaceae (Rangoon creeper family)
Indian almonds are spreading trees with large, leathery, oval leaves which
turn red before they fall. The tree has a distinctive shape, its horizontal
branches growing in wide spreading circles at different levels on the
trunk. The greenish - white female - and male flowers are on the same tree;
these flowers are inconspicuous and not very showy. The pale green fruit is
the size and shape of an almond in its shell. Some varieties become
reddish-purple when ripe. The nuts are edible, taste like almonds and are
eaten. A highly ornamental tree, much planted in avenues and gardens.
Flowering: February-May.
Identification credit: Prashant Awale
| Photographed at Wadkhal, Maharashtra. |
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