TAMARINDUS, in botany, tamarind tree, a genus of the Monadelphia Triandria class and order. Natural order of Lomentace•. Legurninosm, Jussieu. Es sential character : calyx fbur- parted ; pe tals three ; nectary of two short bristles Under the filaments ; legume pulpy. There is only one species, viz. T. indica, tamarind tree, which grows ' to a large size in those countries where it is' a tive ; the stem is very large, covered with a brown bark, dividing into many branches at the top, and spreading wide every way; the flowers come out from the side of the branches, five, six, or more together, in loose branches ; the pods are thick and compressed ; those from the West Indies are from two to 1 five inches in length, containing two, three, or four seeds ; those from the East ladies are nearly twice as long, and contain five, six, and even seven seeds ; plants raised from both these are so much alike as not to be distinguished; the difference in the size of the pods is probably owing to soil and culture.
'rhe calyx is straw-coloured; the petals are yellowish, beautifully variegated with red veins ; peduncles half an inch in length, each furnished with a joint, at which the flower turns inward ; filaments commonly three ; they are purple, and the anthers are brownish. The timber of the tamarind tree is heavy, firm, and hard; sawn into boards, it is converted to many useful purposes in building. The fruit is used both in food and medicine. In many parts of America, particularly in Curacao, they eat abundance of it raw, without any inconvenience. In Martinico also, they eat the unripe fruit, even of • the most austere kind.