The Carob tree (from Arabic: خروب "kharoub" and Hebrew: חרוב Charuv), Ceratonia siliqua, is an evergreen shrub or tree native to the Mediterranean region, cultivated for its edible seed pods. Image File history File links Photography by: Osvaldo Gago File links The following pages link to this file: Carob tree ... Image File history File links Photography by: Osvaldo Gago File links The following pages link to this file: Carob tree ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class of flowering plants. ... Families Fabaceae (legumes) Quillajaceae Polygalaceae (milkwort family) Surianaceae The Fabales are an order of flowering plants, included in the rosid group of dicotyledons. ... Subfamilies Faboideae Caesalpinioideae Mimosoideae References GRIN-CA 2002-09-01 The name Fabaceae belongs to either of two families, depending on viewpoint. ... Tribes Cassieae Caesalpinieae Cercideae Detarieae Caesalpinioideae is a botanical name at the rank of subfamily, placed in the large family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. ... Ceratonia is the name of a genus of trees. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Arabic redirects here. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ...

Morphology

This tree grows up to 10 meters tall. The crown is broad and semi-spherical, supported by a thick trunk, brown rough bark and sturdy branches. Leaves are 10–20 cm long, alternate, pinnate, and may or may not have a terminal leaflet. The flowers are a green-tinted red, small, numerous, and about 6–12 mm long. They are spirally arranged along the inflorescence axis in catkin-like racemes borne on spurs from old wood and even on the trunk (cauliflory). The fruit is a pod which can be elongated, compressed, straight or curved, and thickened at the sutures. Carob is a member of the legume family, and as such its roots host bacteria which convert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates which can be used by plants to make proteins. For other uses, see Flower (disambiguation). ... A male catkin on a willow a male flowering catkin on a willow Catkins, or aments, are slim, cylindrical flower clusters, wind-pollinated (anemophilous) and without petals, that can be found in many plant families, including Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Moraceae, and Salicaceae. ... This inflorescence of the terrestrial orchid Spathoglottis plicata is a typical raceme. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... This article is about the fruit of the plants also called legumes. For the plants themselves, see Fabaceae . ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... General Name, symbol, number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, period, block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Standard atomic weight 14. ... Nitrates are the salts of nitric acid. ...

Habitat

These trees cannot withstand waterlogging, although the root system is usually deep. It grows well in warm temperate and subtropical areas and tolerates hot and humid coastal areas. It is a xerophytic (drought-resistant) species, well adapted to the ecological conditions of the Mediterranean region. present in the altiplanic desert of South America. The carob tree is typical in the southern Portuguese region of the Algarve, where it has the name alfarrobeira (for the tree), and alfarroba (for the fruit), as well as in southern Spain (Spanish: algarrobo, algarroba) and on the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia (Italian: carrubo, carruba). The various trees know as algarrobo in Latin America (Hymenaea courbaril in Colombia and four kinds of Prosopis in Argentina and Paraguay) belong to a different family, the Cesalpinaceae. Waterlogging is a verbal noun meaning the saturation of such as ground or the filling of such as a boat with water. ... Puno, Peru, is one of larger cities of the Altiplano. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Algarve NUTS II region, and the district of Faro in Portugal. ... Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... For the place in the United States, see Sardinia, Ohio. ...

Carob tree

Inside of tree. Note that old pods can stay on tree for years

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 640 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1500 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 640 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1500 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1944 × 2592 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1944 × 2592 pixel, file size: 1. ...

History

The scientific name of the carob tree derives from the Greek keration "carob" (from keras "horn"), and Latin siliqua "pod, carob." The term "carat", the unit by which diamond weight is measured, is derived from the Greek word keration, alluding to an ancient practice of people in the middle east weighing gold and gemstones against the seeds of the carob tree. The system was eventually standardized and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams. For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... The carat is a unit of mass used for gems, and equals 200 milligrams or 3. ...

In late Roman and early Byzantine times the pure gold coin known as the solidus weighed 24 carat seeds (about 4.5 grams). As a result, the carat also became a measure of purity for gold. Thus 24 carat gold means 100% pure, 12 carat gold means the alloy contains 50% gold, etc.

Traditional Uses

Carob was eaten in Ancient Egypt. It was also a common sweetener and was used in the hieroglyph for "sweet" (nedjem). An Egyptian couple harvesting from a painting in the tomb from the early Ramessid period. ... “Hieroglyphics” redirects here. ...

Dried carob fruit is traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat. Carob juice drinks are traditionally drunk on the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. A Jewish holiday or Jewish Festival is a day or series of days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. ... Tu Bishvat (or Tu BiShevat) (טו בשבט) is a minor Jewish holiday (meaning there are no restrictions on working) and one of the four Rosh Hashanahs (New Years) mentioned in the Mishnah, the basis of the Talmud. ... In Islam there are two major annual holidays: Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha. Eid is the arabic word for holidays. ... This article is about Islamic religious observances in the month of Ramadan. ...

Carob pods were the most important source of sugar before sugarcane and sugar beets became widely available. Nowadays, the seeds are processed for the use in cosmetics, curing tobacco, and making paper. This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely traded commodity. ... Species Saccharum arundinaceum Saccharum bengalense Saccharum edule Saccharum officinarum Saccharum procerum Saccharum ravennae Saccharum robustum Saccharum sinense Saccharum spontaneum Sugarcane or Sugar cane (Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae, tribe Andropogoneae), native to warm temperate to tropical... Two sugar beets - the one on the left has been cultivated to be smoother than the traditional beet, so that it traps less soil. ... “Make-up” redirects here. ... Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. ... For other uses, see Paper (disambiguation). ...

Current Use

Also known as St John's Bread, Carob is not a staple food in any area, but provides sustenance during times when other crops are scarce and is a traditional feed for livestock (donkeys, in particular) in many areas. St. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 For other uses, see Donkey (disambiguation). ...

In Egypt, it is used as a snack or treat. It is said to have laxative qualities. Moreover, the crushed pods are used to make a refreshing drink with a distinctive taste. Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements, most often taken to treat constipation. ...

Carob is often eaten fresh, put in cakes, icing, and sometimes cookies. The seeds themselves, also known as locust beans, are used as animal feed. They are also the source of locust bean gum, a thickening agent. Locust bean gum (European Union additive number E410) is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the Carob tree. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ...

Carob is used as a health food alternative to chocolate. Healthful eating is the act of following a balanced nutritional diet. ... For other uses, see Chocolate (disambiguation). ...

It is claimed that the flesh of carob pods tastes similar to sweetened cocoa, and because it does not contain caffeine, theobromine or other psychoactive substances, it is promoted as a hypoallergenic substitute. Mixed with saturated fats such as butter fat or palm oil, it is used to make a sweet confection usually referred to as "carob". For other uses, see Cocoa (disambiguation). ... Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans. ... Theobromine, also known as xantheose,[1] is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant. ... An assortment of psychoactive drugs A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. ... Look up hypoallergenic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A saturated fat is a fat or fatty acid in which there are no double bonds between the carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. ... Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. ... Palm oil from Ghana with its natural dark color visible, 2 litres Palm oil block Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree. ...

Unlike chocolate, which is toxic to horses, dogs, parrots, small rodents and cats because they are unable to metabolise theobromine, carob is considered non-toxic and is used in the production of pet treats. Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Who ever deleted my page is a prat and i wil hunt them down on lucy and shout at them loudly! RAAAAARRR! connie sansom ... This article is about the domestic dog. ... For the runtime engine for Perl 6, see Parrot virtual machine. ... Families Many, see text The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... Cats may refer to: Felines, members of the animal family Felidae The domesticated animal, cat The musical, yeah right, I bet that this was really dumb. ... Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος (metabolismos)) is the biochemical modification of chemical compounds in living organisms and cells. ...

See also

• List of fruits

Also compotes and liqueurs are made from carob, most popular in Portugal and Spain. These products originated from the Algarve and have become a revered produce. Image File history File links Wikispecies-logo. ... Wikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation that aims to create a comprehensive free content catalogue of all species (including animalia, plantae, fungi, bacteria, archaea, and protista). ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Here are lists of fruits considered edible in some cuisine. ...

References and external links

• Fruits of Warm Climates: Carob
• Carob entry at Encyclopedia.com
• Carob recipes at cooks.com
• Recipe for making Egyptian Carob drink
• Did carob seeds allow shady diamond deals?
• Hebrew etymology of "carob"
• Landline interview of Australian carob producers