Velvet Tamarind (Dialium cochinchinense)

Product description

The fruits have velvety hair and a yellowish, sweet pulp similar in flavour to tamarind. In Asia, they are often offered as a snack on the streets, where they are rolled in a leaf and flavoured with sugar and chilli pepper. They are the size of a grape and contain 1-2 seeds. It is an up to 35-metre-high tropical tree from parts of Southeast Asia and then roughly between Myanmar and Vietnam. There, the species is threatened by logging due to the high durability of the wood. It has a reddish colour and is very hard and heavy, making even cutting the wood difficult. In trade, it is offered under the name Keranji. 

Because of its tropical background, this species can be kept as a houseplant and possibly it can be taken outside in the summer months. Provide a sunny spot and water the plant regularly. A drier period is no problem and also occurs in nature. 

Sowing description: Scarify seeds in one spot with sandpaper until a colour difference is visible. Then soak in water for 24 hours and sow in sowing soil at 25-30grC. Keep soil constantly slightly moist, germination usually occurs within a few weeks.