Dialium guineense

Velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense)
Scientific name	Dialium guineense [1] [2]
Common name	Velvet tamarind [5]
Genus	Dialium [1]
Family	Fabaceae [1] [2]
Order	Fabales [1]
Growth form	Evergreen tree or shrub with a dense crown [3]
Native range	Western and central tropical Africa, from Senegal and Nigeria eastward into Central Africa [3] [4]
Native habitat	Lowland evergreen, humid, or dry forest; moist soils, sometimes brackish [3] [4]
Mature size	Up to about 30 m, with smaller shrubby forms also described [3]
Climate and site	Warm drier-tropics conditions; humid, fertile, deep soil and full sun; a rainfall range of about 2100–2600 mm is recorded for its natural distribution [3] [4]
Propagation	Seed [3]
Fruit	Small fruit with edible pulp enclosed by a hard brown shell [5]

Dialium guineense, commonly called velvet tamarind, is an evergreen African fruit tree with small pulp-bearing fruits enclosed by hard brown shells. It is an accepted species in the legume family, Fabaceae.^{[1] [2]}

Description

The species is described as an evergreen tree or shrub with a dense crown, reaching up to about 30 m although smaller shrubby forms also occur.^[3] Its range extends through western and central tropical Africa, including areas from Senegal and Nigeria eastward into Central Africa. It occurs in lowland evergreen, humid, and dry forest habitats.^{[3] [4]}

The fruit is typically about grape-sized and has edible pulp inside a hard brown shell.^[5]

Cultivation

Soil and water

Natural records place the species in lowland forest and in moist soils that can sometimes be brackish.^{[3] [4]} The species cultivation account recommends humid, fertile, deep soil. In a seasonal climate, use a deep soil that holds moisture without remaining saturated, and treat the natural brackish-soil record as habitat context rather than a reason to assume salt tolerance in every planting.^{[3] [4]}

Sun and humidity

Full sun and warm tropical conditions are recommended in the species cultivation account. The same account gives best daytime temperatures of about 21–25 °C and a broader tolerated range of about 15–30 °C, while describing the plant as suited to humid conditions and the drier tropics.^[3] These ranges describe the cited cultivation account rather than a guarantee of performance at every edge of the range.

Seasonal changes

The species occurs in both humid and dry forest settings and is treated as a drier-tropics plant in cultivation.^{[3] [4]} As a habitat-based cultivation inference, match irrigation to the local wet–dry cycle while keeping the deep root zone drained; the cited rainfall range of about 2100–2600 mm describes its natural distribution, not a fixed irrigation schedule.^[4]

Propagation

Seed is the documented propagation route for this species.^[3]

Flowering, fruiting, and harvest

Velvet tamarind produces small fruits with edible pulp enclosed by hard brown shells. The pulp-bearing fruit is the part associated with harvest and use; fruit may be eaten fresh or soaked in water for a beverage.^{[5] [4]}

Fruit and uses

The edible portion is the fruit pulp. It is eaten raw, and the pulp can also be soaked in water and consumed as a beverage.^[5] The hard brown shell is not the edible portion.^[5]

Photos

References

• ↑ [1] GBIF species match: Dialium guineense.

• ↑ [2] Dialium guineense Willd. — GBIF species page.

• ↑ [3] Dialium guineense — Useful Tropical Plants Database.

• ↑ [4] Agroforestree Database 4.0: Dialium guineense.

• ↑ [5] Dialium guineense.

Image credits

• Dialium guineense.jpg — Dialium guineense tree in Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; creator Marcus J. de A. Falcão; public domain (PD-self); individual file page.

• Dialium guineense fruit.jpg — Dialium guineense fruit, shelled fruit, and seeds in Mbour, Senegal; creator NoahElhardt; CC BY-SA 4.0; attribution to NoahElhardt and share-alike terms apply; individual file page.