Female Ceratonia siliqua

A medium-height evergreen tree with an especially broad canopy. One of the most prominent and characteristic trees of Israeli groves. The trunk is thick and brown. Its foliage is green and vital and has fleshy, elliptical leaves. The tree flowers in late summer. The female flowers are odorless and are thus preferable to those of the male. They appear in sparse clusters at the ends of adult branches. The female tree bears fruit after flowering. They are long, somewhat thick pods in a dark brown color that ripen in summer and are good and sweet for human consumption. The carob pods have significant nutritional value, and the powder of the dried pods is a substitute for cocoa powder in the production of caffeine-free sweets with reduced fat, sugar and calories. In countries like Portugal, Italy and Morocco, Ceratonia siliqua is intensively cultivated for the pods. The tree’s wood is considered strong and is used as a raw material in carpentry and the coal industry. Interestingly, carob seeds are called “carats,” and their weight is the source of the measurement for gemstones.

Ceratonia siliqua is sensitive to pests that attack the structure of the tree and has a tendency to develop rot. It is very important to design the tree properly in its early years to forestall aggressive pruning in its adulthood, which will almost certainly expose it to invasion by such pests and rot. Proper design will prevent tree breakage. C. siliqua’s root system is very sensitive, which is why one must be extremely careful in any infrastructure work around it. Excessive exposure of this type may be deadly to the tree.

As befits an indigenous Israeli tree, it is suitable for almost all parts of the country, and it requires minimal water. It has a medium growth rate, and it is very long-lived. Due to the fact that the female does not emit an unpleasant odor when flowering, it is horticulturally preferred. This is a popular tree, and with good reason – the green, fresh, attractive, shade-giving canopy has a distinctively Israeli character. It is an excellent tree for boulevards, in parks and as a shade tree.

Male Ceratonia siliqua »