Description

• Pithecellobium dulce, commonly known as Madras thorn, or monkeypod, is a thorny, evergreen to semi-deciduous tree in the legume family (Fabaceae).

• It has a spreading crown, greyish bark, and paired, recurved spines along its branches.

• The leaves are alternate and bipinnate in appearance, with each leaf consisting of two pairs of small, oval leaflets.

• Small, fragrant, greenish-white flowers grow in rounded clusters near the ends of branches or in the leaf axils.

• The fruits are distinctive, twisted or coiled pods that turn pinkish to reddish when mature and split open to reveal black seeds surrounded by edible white to pinkish pulp.

• The tree is drought-tolerant and is commonly planted for shade, hedging, and its edible fruit.

Range

• Native to Mexico and Central America, with its natural range extending into parts of northern South America.

• Widely cultivated and naturalized throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

• It is native to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.

Habitat

• Grows in tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, coastal vegetation, woodland edges, and disturbed areas.

• Commonly occurs in dry, seasonally arid environments and tolerates sandy, rocky, and relatively poor soils.

• Often found along roadsides, in pastures, around settlements, and in open areas exposed to full sun.