In some places in Hainan, this tree is more famous than the coconut tree →

Walking in Hainan, you can see coconut trees everywhere, which is well known to everyone. But in some places, this tree is more famous than coconut trees, that is the sour bean tree .

Especially in the southern part of Hainan Island, such as Sanya, Danzhou, Ledong, Lingshui, Tunchang and other cities and counties, the sour bean tree is almost a household name, especially in Sanya.

The sour bean tree is usually about ten meters high, and the tallest can grow to 20 to 30 meters. From a distance, its lush branches and leaves look like a huge parasol. The dark gray bark and irregular vertical cracks make the sour bean tree look older than its actual age.

As for the leaves of the tamarind tree, they are very inconsistent with its large tree shape. They are small and oblong, with 7 to 20 pairs of small leaves on one branch. The flowers of the tamarind tree are also stingy, with fewer flowers, mainly yellow or mixed with purple-red stripes, with only two bracts, and the flowers are somewhat sparse.

Tamarind is the fruit of the tamarind tree. In the fruit stalls of Sanya, you can often see ripe tamarinds with a sweet taste. The tamarind tree was designated as the city tree of Sanya in 1998 and is a national second-level protected plant. The leaves, flowers and fruits of the tamarind tree are all edible . And from the leaves to the fruits, everything is sour.

In the past, some fishermen in Sanya liked to add a few spoonfuls of sour bean sauce as seasoning when cooking fish soup. The sweet, sour and fragrant fish soup became a delicious and nutritious delicacy for fishermen. Even if you go out to sea for more than a month, you don't have to worry. With the best sour bean sauce as a delicious seasoning and freshly caught fish, such a delicacy is mouth-watering.

Relevant data show that the pulp of sour beans is rich in sugar, acetic acid, tartaric acid, formic acid, citric acid and other ingredients. In the food field, it is mainly used to make condiments, beverages, jams, etc., and the products are deeply loved by consumers. Nowadays, with the advancement of sour bean manufacturing technology, sour bean juice has also been made into drinks, and its unique sweet and sour taste conquers the taste buds of consumers and is deeply loved by the public.

The Latin name of the tamarind tree is "Tamarindus indica", and "indica" is the Latin species name for India. However, the tamarind tree is not native to India. According to academic research, the tamarind tree is native to Africa, and wild tamarind trees have been found in Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania and other countries.

It is unknown how the sour bean tree traveled across the ocean and eventually took root in Qiongya. As soon as the sour bean landed, it was registered and began the process of localization. This seems to be a model of natural selection, that is, the dry and rainless southwest of Qiongya formed its own sphere of influence, which echoed the coconut forest belt that was also formed in the warm and humid northeast of the island.

Note: The content is based on Hainan Daily, etc. The pictures are from the Internet and are only used as popular science materials. If there is any infringement, please contact us.