Imli / Tamarind Tree
Tamarindus indica
Also known as Indian Date, Sampalok
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- April-December
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Tamarindus indica
- Genus
- Tamarindus
- Family
- Caesalpiniaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Planted
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Tropical Africa
- Distribution
- Tropics of the World
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Recorded for Imli.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Imli इमली,इमली imali, amla, amlika
- Nepali
- तित्री
- Bengali
- Amli, তেঁতুল
- Tamil
- Puli புளி, புளி, புளிய மரம்
- Telugu
- Chinta, చింతచెట్టు, చింత
- Kannada
- ಹುಣಿಸೆ Hunise, ಹುಣಸೆ Hunase, ಹುಣುಸೆ Hunuse
- Malayalam
- പുളി, പുളിമരം, വാളൻപുളി
- Marathi
- Chinch, चिंच
- Sinhala
- සියඹලා
Imli in India
The tamarind is a huge, long-lived shade tree and a kitchen essential — Imli इमली (Hindi), Puli புளி (Tamil), Chinta (Telugu), ಹುಣಿಸೆ Hunise (Kannada), പുളി (Malayalam), Chinch (Marathi). Tamarindus indica is planted along roads and in villages across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala, many trees standing for a century or more.
Uses
The sour pulp of the pod is indispensable in Indian cooking — in sambar, rasam, chutneys and tamarind rice — and is sold pressed into blocks. The pulp also has attributed uses in traditional remedies, and the dense wood is prized for tools and boards.
How to Identify Imli
A large evergreen with a broad crown and fine, feathery leaves of many small paired leaflets that fold at night. The brittle, brown, knobbly pods hold sticky dark-brown pulp around hard seeds. Pale yellow flowers with red veining appear before the pods.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Tamarind Tree called in different Indian languages?
- Imli इमली (Hindi); Puli புளி (Tamil); Chinta (Telugu); ಹುಣಿಸೆ Hunise (Kannada); പുളി (Malayalam); Chinch (Marathi); Amli (Bengali).
- What is tamarind (imli) used for in cooking?
- Its sour pulp is a primary souring agent in South Indian dishes like sambar and rasam, in tamarind rice, and in chutneys and sauces across India.
- How long does a tamarind tree live?
- Tamarind is very long-lived — village and roadside trees commonly survive well over a hundred years.
Caesalpiniaceae
Senna family
Imli belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Caesalpiniaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Imli or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Caesalpiniaceae
View all Caesalpiniaceae →Sources: GBIF — Tamarindus indica (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Tamarindus indica (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Tamarindus indica (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)