Evergreen large shrub or small tree to 30 feet.
Carobs can be male, female or hermaphrodite.
St. John is supposed to have eaten the pods of the Carob. These pods are rich and sugar and are milled as a chocolate substitute. The hard seeds inside the pods are not edible. The pod contains less fat and more vitamins than cocoa, and are sold as cocoa substitute in health stores. This site contains information and pictures for more than 2000 species of plants.