Combretaceae
Terminalia

Terminalia catappa L.

First published in Mant. Pl.: 128 (1767)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Comoros, Madagascar, Tropical & Subtropical Asia to Pacific, N. Australia. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food, a poison and a medicine, has environmental uses and social uses and for fuel and food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
almendra, almendrillo, almendro, almendro de Indias, almendro de la costa, almendro de la India, almendro de las Indias, almendro de playa, almendrón, almondo, guayabillo
[UNAL]

M. Thulin. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1–4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Distribution
Cultivated as a shade tree in coastal regions, native in tropical Asia.
Morphology General Habit
Tree with horizontal branches
Morphology Leaves
Leaves obovate, to 25 cm long, rounded at the apex, turning red before falling
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small in short spikes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit somewhat compressed with 2 ridges and with an edible seed.
[FSOM]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1500 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlántico, Bolívar, Boyacá, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Norte de Santander, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Tree.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Distribution
Cultivated in Colombia.
Ecology
Alt. 0 - 1500 m.
[UPB]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1500 m.; Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Árbol
[CPLC]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
almond, Indian almond
Morphology General Habit
A fast-growing tree with conspicuously whorled, horizontal branches; leaves clustered near ends of the branches, obovate, 10–30 cm long, rounded and abruptly pointed at the apex, tapered downward to a minutely subcordate base, almost glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flower-spikes 5–15 cm long, the perfect (fruit-producing) flowers toward the base, the distal flowers all being staminate only
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a bony, flattened-ellipsoid, 2-edged drupe, 4–7 cm long, with thin edible flesh.
Distribution
Cayman Islands. Native of tropical Asia, commonly planted for ornament and shade throughout the tropics.
Ecology
Especially in localities near the sea, and often becoming naturalised.
[Cayman]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61989853/61989855

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/32962/9745108

Conservation
EN - endangered
[IUCN]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Fuel
Used for fuels.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Use Materials
Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).
Use Materials Unspecified Materials Chemicals
Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).
Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
Medicinal (Instituto Humboldt 2014).
[UPB]

Use
The wood is hard and close-grained; the bark and leaves are astringent and contain tannin, and also together with the fruits yield a black dye used in some countries for making ink or dyeing textiles. The seeds are edible; they are very rich in oil and have an almond- like flavour.
[Cayman]

Common Names

English
Indian Almond
Spanish
Almendro, almendrón, almondo, almedo, almendro asiático, almendro de la costa, almendro de la India, almendro de tierra caliente.

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/