TREE 16Photographs by Aniq
Indian almond
Terminalia catappa
A dark trunk branches into a broad crown. Surface roots radiate across the ground, and a small cluster of plants grows at its base.
Observations
A dark trunk branches into a broad crown. Surface roots radiate across the ground, and a small cluster of plants grows at its base.
About this identification
The dark trunk sprouts rosettes of large, obovate leaves, and the ground is carpeted with big, paddle-shaped leaves turned orange-brown, the trademark shedding cycle of the ketapang. Radiating surface roots complete the picture. The distinctive tiered branching is partly hidden by pruning.
Identified from photographs of bark, leaves, fallen litter and epiphytes against the Malaysian campus-tree flora. Moderate and tentative records would be settled by a close-up of flowers or fruit.
Species reference: Terminalia catappa