Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae. The tamarind tree produces brown, pod-like fruits that contain a sweet, tangy pulp, which is used in cuisines around the world. The pulp is also used in traditional medicine and as a dye. The wood can be used for woodworking, and tamarind seed oil can be extracted from the seeds. Its young leaves are used in Indian and Filipino cuisine. Because tamarind has multiple uses, it is cultivated worldwide in tropical and subtropical zones.
Description
The tamarind is a long-living, medium-growth tree, which attains a maximum crown height of 25–30 metres (82–98 feet). The crown has an irregular, vase-shaped outline of dense foliage up to 12 m (39 ft) wide. A tamarind trunk may grow to a circumference of 7.5 m (25 ft). The tree grows well in full sun. It prefers clay, loam, sandy, and acidic soil types, with a high resistance to drought and wind-borne salt as found in coastal areas. Tamarind timber consists of hard, dark red heartwood and softer, yellowish sapwood. The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged and paripinnately compound. The leaflets are bright green, elliptic-ovular, pinnately veined, and less than 15 centimetres (6 inches) in length. The branches droop from a single, central trunk as the tree matures, and are often pruned in agriculture to optimize tree density and ease of fruit harvest. As a tropical species, it is frost-sensitive.
The tamarind flowers bloom (although inconspicuously), with red and yellow elongated flowers. Flowers are 2.5 cm (1 in) wide, five-petalled, borne in small racemes, and yellow with orange or red streaks. The individual flower is covered in a bud by four pink sepals which are lost when the flower blooms.
Fruit The fruit is an indehiscent pod, 12 to 15 cm (4+1⁄2 to 6 in) in length, with a hard, brown shell. The tamarinds of Asia have longer pods (containing six to 12 seeds), whereas African and West Indian varieties have shorter pods (containing one to six seeds). A mature tree may produce up to 225 kg (496 lb) of fruit each year. The fruit has a fleshy, acidic pulp, becoming mature when the flesh is colored brown or reddish brown; the pulp is sweet and sour in taste. The brown seeds left behind are somewhat flattened, and glossy.
Genomics A gap-free telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of Tamarindus indica was published in 2025. The genome size is approximately 809.5 Mb, assembled across 12 pseudochromosomes. The assembly has a BUSCO completeness of 98.8%, and 30,753 protein-coding genes were predicted.
Etymology The name derives from Arabic: تمر هندي, romanized tamr hindi, "Indian date". Several early medieval herbalists and physicians wrote tamar indi, medieval Latin use was tamarindus, and Marco Polo wrote of tamarandi.
Common names In countries of Southeast Asia, it is called asam jawa (Javanese sour fruit) or simply asam, and sukaer in Timor. In the Philippines, it is called sampalok or sampaloc in Filipino, and sambag in Cebuano. In Thailand, it is called makham (Thai: มะขาม).
Distribution Tamarindus indica is indigenous to tropical Africa, where botanical studies place its native domestication within the dry savannas of the Sudanian belt, extending from Sudan, especially Kordofan, westward across sub-Sahelian Africa. It has been cultivated for so long on the Indian subcontinent that it is sometimes reported to be indigenous there. It grows wild in Africa. In Arabia, it is found growing wild in Oman, especially Dhofar, where it grows on the sea-facing slopes of mountains. It reached South Asia likely through human transportation and cultivation several thousand years ago. It is widely distributed throughout the tropics, from Africa to South Asia and Australia. In Madagascar, its fruit and leaves are a well-known favorite of the ring-tailed lemur, providing as much as 50 percent of their food resources during the year if available. In the 16th century, it was introduced to Mexico and Central America, and to a lesser degree to South America, by Spanish and Portuguese colonists, to the degree that it became a staple ingredient in the region's cuisine.
Uses
Most parts of the tamarind tree (including the wood, bark, flowers, leaves, pulp and seeds) have various environmental, commercial, and culinary uses. Tamarind trees are used as shade trees and ornamental trees (common along highways and in parks).
Nutrition Raw tamarind fruit is 63% carbohydrates, 31% water, 3% protein, and 1% fat (table). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), raw tamarind supplies 1,000 kilojoules (240 kilocalories) of food energy, and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of thiamine (36% DV) and dietary minerals, including magnesium and potassium at 22% and 21% DV, respectively (table).
Culinary
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