Ceratonia siliqua SEEDS

Ceratonia siliqua seeds grow into the carob tree one of the most historically important and economically significant trees of the Mediterranean world, native to the subtropical biome from the western Mediterranean east through the Middle East to Iran, where it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years. This slow-growing, long-lived evergreen tree or large shrub develops a broad, dense, rounded crown of pinnate, dark green, glossy, leathery leaves and produces the distinctive elongated, dark brown, leathery pods up to 30 cm long that are among the most useful plant products of the ancient Mediterranean world. The sweet, chocolate-scented pulp is a natural cocoa substitute (caffeine-free), a source of food and livestock fodder since antiquity. The seeds provided the original unit of weight the ‘carat’ because their remarkably consistent weight (~0.2 g each) made them ideal for weighing gemstones. Family Fabaceae.

Full sun; highly drought-tolerant; adaptable to poor, rocky, calcareous and sandy soils; one of the most drought-resistant evergreen trees for Mediterranean and dry subtropical climates. Essentially frost-hardy once established to around -7C.

• Sweet, chocolate-scented pods natural caffeine-free cocoa substitute; human and livestock food for 4,000 years
• Seeds gave us the ‘carat’ as a unit of weight ~0.2 g each, used historically to weigh gemstones
• Mediterranean to Iran subtropical biome; cultivated across the whole Mediterranean basin since antiquity
• Slow-growing but very long-lived; locust bean gum (E410) from seeds is a major food industry hydrocolloid
• Full sun; very drought-tolerant; calcareous, rocky and poor soils; hardy to around -7C

Ceratonia siliqua is one of the great multi-purpose trees of the ancient Mediterranean world the carob’s sweet chocolate-scented pods, extraordinary drought tolerance, long life and deep cultural history from the Levant to Spain have made it one of the most celebrated and useful evergreen trees in the Mediterranean landscape for four millennia.

IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.