Imli (Tamarind) Tree (Tamarindus indica): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant It
Tamarindus indica
Imli, tamarind in English, is Tamarindus indica, the drought-hardy fruit and shade tree of Indian villages. How and when to plant an imli tree, growing it from seed, years to fruit, how to recognise it, care for the first three years and what to watch out for.
Benefits
Benefits of imli
Imli is grown first for its sour pods, but a mature tree also gives deep shade, shelter from wind, nectar for bees and very hard wood.
- Food: ICRAF says the pulp, mixed with a little salt, is a favourite ingredient of curries and chutneys throughout India, and the Indian Horticulture article names rasam and sambar. Sweet types are eaten fresh and sour types made into juice, jam and sweets; ICRAF notes that the flowers and leaves are also used in some dishes and that the seed is eaten after soaking and boiling to remove its hard coat.
- Shade and shelter: the wide crown makes it a village resting tree, and because it stands up to storms it serves as a windbreak (ICRAF).
- Bees: honeybees collect nectar and pollen from the flowers (ICRAF).
- Wood and fuel: the heartwood is very hard, durable and takes a fine polish; it is used for farm tools, mortars and furniture, and it makes good firewood and charcoal (ICRAF).
- Traditional use: ICRAF records many traditional folk-medicine uses of the bark, leaves, flowers, pulp and seeds. Traditional use does not prove that any part works or is safe, so talk to a qualified doctor before using any part as medicine.
- Edible: The pulp, mixed with a little salt, is a favourite ingredient of curries and chutneys throughout India (ICRAF), and the souring agent in rasam and sambar (Indian Horticulture, ICAR). Sweet types are eaten fresh and sour types made into juice, jam and sweets; flowers and leaves are used in some dishes, and the seed is eaten after soaking and boiling to remove its hard coat (ICRAF).
- Shade and cooling: The wide, dense crown gives deep shade and makes it a village resting tree (ICRAF).
- Other: It stands up to storms and serves as a windbreak; because grass rarely grows under its dense shade it is also used for firebreaks (ICRAF).
- Pollinators: Honeybees collect nectar and pollen from the flowers, which are reported to be a good honey source (ICRAF).
- Timber: The heartwood is very hard, durable and takes a fine polish; it is used for farm tools, mortars and furniture, and gives good firewood and charcoal (ICRAF).
- Soil health: ICAR dryland researchers (Reddy and colleagues, 2023) note that it tolerates high pH and suits drylands, wastelands and saline or sodic soils.
- Fodder: The foliage has high fodder value but is rarely lopped because that cuts fruit yield; in southern states cooked seeds are fed to draught animals (ICRAF).
- Medicinal: ICRAF records many traditional folk-medicine uses of the bark, leaves, flowers, pulp and seeds. Traditional use does not prove that any part works or is safe; talk to a qualified doctor before using any part as medicine.
- Cultural: Its name comes from the Arabic tamar-u'l-Hind, "date of India" (ICRAF). In folk belief in many parts of India, old tamarind trees are said to be home to spirits (Scroll.in; USC Digital Folklore Archives); this is folklore, not fact.
Sources: Orwa C. et al. (2009). Agroforestree Database 4.0: Tamarindus indica. ICRAF; Shankarprasad K.S. & Menon J.S. (2020). Veneer grafting for successful tamarind propagation. Indian Horticulture (ICAR), Nov-Dec 2020; Reddy A.G.K. et al. (2023). Performance of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) accessions under dryland conditions. Legume Research 46(9): 1179-1183. ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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