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Tamarind
इमली (imli)
A very long-lived tree with fine feathery foliage and curved brown pods full of sticky sour pulp.
👀 How to recognise it
Small paired leaflets that fold at night, a short massive trunk, and pods hanging in the crown most of the year.
Where to see it
Mysore
Sour tamarind pulp is the acid base of most South Indian cooking, and roadside tamarind avenues were deliberately planted as shade for bullock carts long before motor traffic.
Kukkarahalli Lake · Bandipur Tiger Reserve
Hampi
Tamarind fruit is a major food of sloth bears in this landscape as well as the acid in the local cooking, so the same groves feed the people and the bears.
Pampa Sarovar · Sanapur Lake · Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary (often)
Hyderabad
Hyderabad's most famous tamarind stands at Osmania General Hospital: about 150 people survived the Musi flood of September 1908 by clinging to it, and a memorial is held beneath it every year. Osman Sagar was built after the same flood to protect the city.
KBR National Park · Osman Sagar (Gandipet Lake) · Ananthagiri Hills
Pune
Tamarind pulp is the sourness in sambar, rasam and chutney across India. Old tamarinds are common village landmarks and are seldom cut.
Saras Baug · Parvati Hill · Empress Botanical Garden