Terminalia catappa L.

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Photo: Sune Holt
Vilankulo, Inhambane, Mozambique

Photo: Mark Hyde
Caribbea Bay, Kariba, cottages

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Indian-almond (English) Myrobalan (English) Tropical-almond (English)
Description:	Tree to 25 m tall. Branches horizontal, wide-spreading. Leaves 15 - 30 cm long, obovate; apex obtuse or shortly acuminate; petiole short, becoming deep red before they fall. Flowers greenish-white in slender spikes up to 15 cm long. Fruit 5 cm or more long, broadly elliptic, flattened, green or red, the two angles winged. Seed oblong-elliptic.
Notes:	The species is widely planted along the coast in Mozambique but sometimes seen far away from habitation. The seeds are drift seeds so dispersal all along the coast is not surprising and it is likely that the species has become naturalized but not in a weedy way. (John Burrows pers. comm., Oct 2018)
Derivation of specific name:	catappa: a native East Indian name
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Widely planted and naturalized along most tropical coastlines. Its origins are now uncertain but probably Asian.
Growth form(s):	Tree.
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Monday 8 October 2018
Literature:	Bailey, L.H. (1949). Manual of Cultivated Plants Revised edition. Macmillan, New York. Pages 723 - 724. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 687. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 817. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 149.

Other sources of information about Terminalia catappa:

Our websites:

Flora of Mozambique: Terminalia catappa
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Terminalia catappa

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Terminalia catappa
African Plant Database: Terminalia catappa
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Terminalia catappa
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Terminalia catappa
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Terminalia catappa
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Terminalia catappa
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Terminalia catappa
JSTOR Plant Science: Terminalia catappa
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Terminalia catappa
Plants of the World Online: Terminalia catappa
Tropicos: Terminalia catappa
Wikipedia: Terminalia catappa