Carob Tree

Carob tree, native of the Mediterranean region and important as a farm crop there and other hot and semi-arid regions, was introduced in the last century in Punjab for its edible pods but it has not been successful. It is known to produce tragasol, a mucilaginous hemicellulose, occurring in fruits.

A small ever green dioecious tree, generally 10-17 m tall. Leaves paripinnate, leaflets 3-5 pairs, opposite, 3.0-5 cm long, elliptic or broadly obovate, emarginate, glabrous above, hairy below. Inflorescence axillary, racemes 5-30 cm long, flowers unisexual. Calyx small, saucer-shaped, lobes very short. Petals absent. Stamens 5, filaments 3-4 mm long. Disk conspicuous, intra-staminal. Ovary shortly stipitate, grey pubescent, style almost absent, stigma large, capitate. Pods 7.5-20 cm long, 1.2-2.5 cm wide, curved, compressed, thick and turgid. Seeds pale brown, shining, embedded in the pulp.

Distribution: Indigenous to Eastern Mediterranean region, widely cultivated elsewhere, introduced in some parts of Punjab.

Fl. Per.: October-November.