As the name suggests, Wild Tamarind grows wild all over Barbados. The leaves look like those of a tamarind tree, and it produces bean-like seed pods - a lot less fleshy than those of a tamarind though. The flowers are pretty little white puff balls that only last a day and are best seen early in the morning.
I’ve seen parrots and sparrows (bullfinches) feeding on the green seed pods and the new leaves, so lots of people that keep birds will pick them as a free food source for their birds. I’ve also seen monkeys eating the new seed pods and the young leaves (their salad).
As the seed pods ripen, they get hard and turn dark brown, and once they burst and the seeds are dispersed, they spring up into new plants very quickly.
The roots of the Wild Tamarind go quite deep into the ground, so once they are established, they can be quite difficult to get rid of. If left alone, they will grow into small trees, and it is not uncommon to see a thick wood of Wild Tamarind trees growing wild around Barbados.
If you’d like to read more about Barbados, please read my other blog, Things Barbados.
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