Terminalia catappa

Terminalia catappais a largetropicaltree in the leadwood tree family,Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar andSeychelles.Common names in English includecountry almond,Indian almond,Malabar almond,sea almond,tropical almond,beach almondandfalse kamani.
Thespecies epithetis based on itsMalaynameketapang.
The tree grows to 35 metres (115 feet) tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and horizontal branches.  As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more flattened to form a spreading, vase shape. Its branches are distinctively arranged in tiers. The leaves are large and ovoid, it is15–25 cm (6–9+3⁄4in) long and10–14 cm (4–5+1⁄2in) broad; it has a glossy and leathery dark green surface like paper.Theyfallduring the dry season; they turn pinkish-reddish or yellow-brown, due topigmentssuch asviolaxanthin,lutein, andzeaxanthin.
The trees aremonoecious, with distinct small male and female flowers on the same tree. Both are produced on axillary or terminal spikes, they are1 cm (3⁄8in) in diameter, white to greenish, and inconspicuous with no petals.Pollen grains measure about 30 microns.
The fruit is adrupe5–7 cm (2–2+3⁄4in) long and3–5.5 cm (1+1⁄8–2+1⁄8in) broad containing a single seed; it is green at first, then yellows and finally turns to red when ripe. The entire fruit is corky and light so it can be dispersed by water, but it can also be spread by bats that eat them.When the seed germinates, it unfolds the largest pair of foliar (leafy) cotyledons of any plant; up to 8.5 cm wide by up to 3.5 cm long.
The tree has been spread widely by humans, so the native range is uncertain. It has long been naturalised in a broad belt extending from Africa to northernAustraliaandNew Guineathroughsoutheast AsiaandMicronesiainto theIndian subcontinent. More recently, the plant has been introduced to parts of theAmericas. Until the mid-20th century, the tree had been used extensively in Brazilian urban landscaping, since being a rare case tropical deciduous, their fallen leaves would give a "European" flair to the street. This practice is currently abolished, and the "amendoeiras" are being replaced by native, evergreen trees.
T. catappais widely grown intropicalregions of the world as anornamental tree, grown for the deep shade its large leaves provide. The fruit is edible,tasting slightly acidic. When ripe, the seeds are edible raw or cookedand are the source of its 'almond' common names, but are small and difficult to extract.
The wood is red and solid, and has high water resistance; it has been used inPolynesiafor makingcanoes. InTamil, almond is known asnattuvadumai.
The leaves contain severalflavonoids(such askaempferolorquercetin), severaltannins(such aspunicalin,punicalaginortercatin),saponinesandphytosterols. Due to this chemical richness, the leaves (and the bark) are used in differentherbal medicinesfor various purposes. For instance inTaiwan, fallen leaves are used as an herb to treatliverdiseases. InSuriname, anherbal teamade from the leaves has been prescribed againstdysenteryanddiarrhea. The leaves may contain agents for prevention ofcancers(although they have no demonstrated anticarcinogenic properties) andantioxidants, as well as anticlastogeniccharacteristics. Extracts ofT. catappahave shown activity againstPlasmodium falciparumchloroquine (CQ)-resistant (FcB1) and CQ-sensitive (HB3) strains.
Keeping the leaves in an aquarium may lower the pH and heavy-metal content of the water.It has been used in this way by fish breeders for many years, and is active against some parasites and bacterial pathogens.It is also believed to help prevent fungus forming on the eggs of the fish.While common in hobby fishkeeping, this use of catappa leaves is not used in commercial aquaculture.