IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service
Many common names of tropical fruits don't really tell you a lot
about where they come from, and this is true in the case of the Spanish tamarind,
Vangueria edulis. This large shrub, reportedly from Madagascar and
Africa, is widely distributed in the tropics, but for some reason is not
well known.
The pale green three-to-eight-inch leaves are very attractive and
the greenish-white small flowers are borne in clusters in the axils of the
leaves. Fruits are smooth and green with white dots and about one-and-three-quarter-inches
in diameter. Fruits often contain four or more seeds about a half-inch
to three-quarters of an inch long.
The flavor of the fruit is reported to be much like that of an unripe
apple, but if the fruit is allowed to stay on the bush after full maturity,
it eventually shrivels and becomes brownish in color, and at that stage
the flavor is suggestive of the tamarind Tamarindus indica. When
the fruit is fresh it is often eaten out of hand, or it may be stewed.
Plants are reported to grow rapidly and are well suited for a wide
range of soils and climatic conditions. They are also reported to have a
good drought tolerance. Salt tolerance is unreported, so if you are close
to salt water your may want to protect them from salt wind to be safe.
Propagation is commonly by seeds or cuttings and no information was
found by the author on time from seed to flowering. This sounds like an
interesting fruit to try in your garden if you already have all the common
things. Finding it, though, may be a problem unless you have sources of seed
from the tropics.
© 2000 BGCII Page posted March 2004
