Indian Almond

The tree is a large, spreading tropical species with tiered branches and big leathery leaves that turn red or yellow before dropping. The fruit is a flattened, egg-shaped drupe three to seven centimeters long that changes from green to yellow or red when ripe. Under a thin fleshy layer lies a fibrous, corky husk that helps the fruit float on seawater, and inside is a hard stone enclosing one slim, pale kernel.

The kernel resembles a small flat almond. It has a mild, sweet, nutty flavor and a slightly oily texture when fresh, and it becomes firm and aromatic when roasted.

Kernels are sold shelled in some tropical markets, but most are gathered locally from trees and cracked by hand.

The native range of Terminalia catappa is hard to pin down because ocean currents and human travelers have carried the buoyant fruits across tropical shores for a very long time. It is generally thought to originate in the area from India and Southeast Asia through northern Australia and the western Pacific, and it now grows throughout the tropics.

The genus name Terminalia comes from Latin terminus, meaning end, referring to the way the leaves cluster at the tips of the twigs. The common names tropical almond, Indian almond, sea almond and Malabar almond all liken the kernel to a true almond, while ketapang and talisay are regional names in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Because the fruit floats and tolerates salt, Indian almond spread naturally along beaches and was carried by sailors and settlers, who planted it as a shade and coastal windbreak tree. In many tropical towns it is a familiar roadside and schoolyard tree whose broad crown shelters markets and playgrounds.

The kernel has long been a local snack in Southeast Asia, India, the Pacific islands and parts of Africa and the Caribbean. Traditional oil from the seed was pressed for cooking and lamp use in some regions, and bark, leaves and fruit entered folk medicine and dyeing, where the tannin-rich leaves and fruit were used to make black and yellow dyes.

The tree's modern fame has also grown among aquarists, who place dried leaves in fish tanks, though that use is unrelated to the edible kernel. Researchers have studied the oil, protein and polyphenol content of the kernel and the possibility of making better use of the large quantities of fruit that fall unused each year.

The kernel is eaten raw or lightly roasted as a snack and can be added to sweets, cakes and savory dishes where almonds or cashews would be used. The fleshy outer layer of ripe fruit is edible in some places, though it is thin and fibrous.

Oil pressed from the kernels is used for cooking and for skin and hair care in some communities. The dried leaves, bark and fruit have a long history of use as traditional remedies and as sources of tannin for tanning leather and dyeing cloth.

The tree is also widely planted for shade, coastal protection and timber, and its fallen leaves are used as mulch.

The kernel is a source of fat, protein and some minerals, and the leaves and fruit contain polyphenols and tannins that are the subject of laboratory studies for antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. These findings come mainly from cell and animal research, so the traditional remedies made from the tree should not be taken as proven treatments. As a food, the kernel is best treated as a modest tropical nut and not as a medicine.