Plant of the week:

Written by Mala

Name in Tamizh : Kodukapulli

Botanical name: Pithocellobium Dulce 

Other commmon names:  

Manila tamarind, Madras thorn, 

Camachile and Guamúchil. It also has various other local names  as it is found in most parts of the world. 

The plant, is native to Mexico, CentralAmerica and north southern America. 

It belongs to the pea family and is classified as Fabaceae.

Left to nature it easily reaches a height of 10- 15 m. On younger trees the bark is smooth and pale whitish grey. On older trees, the bark turns rougher and fissured with ribs, which looks interesting on bonsai. 

The flowers are greenish white and fragrant. The trees start to fruit only after 4 to 8 yrs of age,during the dry season, with pods appearing 2 to 3 weeks after flowering. 

The fruits are edible and sweet

and the pods are shaped into spirals which is the origin of the name pithocellobium. Pitho meaning monkey and cellobium meaning earrings. Dulce means sweet. The tree is named after the shape of the fruit. 

The leaves are bipinate, it has very sharp thorns. There are some varieties that are thornless and they also release a sap which is irritating to the skin. 

All parts of the tree is useful as the fruit is consumed all over the world and the leaves and branches are used as foliage and fodder for the animals. It also has medicinal value. 

There is another variety with a variegated form of leaf with colours of pink, white and green but in my experience, this doesn’t fruit.

Also there is a small leaved variety. 

Pithocellobium lends itself to most bonsai shapes and can be converted very easily into formals , informals, cascades or literati. 

Most pods have around 10 shiny black seeds which germinate very easily, the plant can also can be propagated very easily by cutting and air layering. 

A very easy plant to grow, it grows in even drought filled conditions or in the swamps. It is also easy to make this plant into a bonsai in a short period of time.