INTRODUCTION
Tropical-Almond is a 30 to 55-foot-tall, deciduous tree which forms a symmetrical, upright silhouette in youth with horizontal branches reaching 35 feet in width. The branches are arranged in obvious tiers, giving the tree a pagoda-like shape. As the tree grows older, the crown spreads and flattens on the top to form a wide-spreading vase shape. The large, 12- inch-long and six-inch-wide, glossy green, leathery leaves change to beautiful shades of red, yellow, and purple before dropping in winter. Due to their large size, these old leaves may be considered a nuisance to some people. The leaves are quickly replaced by new
growth so the tree is bare for only a short period of time. The inconspicuous, greenish-white, springtime
blossoms appear in six-inch-long terminal clusters and are followed by the edible fruits. These drupes are 2.5 inches long and mature from green to yellow or red during the summer. The outside husk is corky fiber
with an inner thin green flesh. The inside holds the edible, almond-like kernel. The fruit is high in tannic
acid and this could stain cars, pavement and sidewalks. It also causes significant litter on the ground.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Scientific name: Terminalia catappa
Pronunciation: ter-mih-NAIL-ee-uh kuh-TAP-uh
Common name(s): Tropical-Almond, India-Almond
Family: Combretaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 10B through 11 (Fig. 2)
Origin: not native to North America
Uses: large parking lot islands (> 200 square feet in size); medium-sized parking lot islands (100-200
square feet in size); recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the
highway; shade tree; small parking lot islands (< 100 square feet in size); specimen; residential street tree;
no proven urban tolerance
Availability: grown in small quantities by a small number of nurseries