The carob (/ˈkærəb/ KARR-əb; Ceratonia siliqua) is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae.

It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and landscapes.

[4] When the trees blossom in autumn, the flowers are small and numerous, spirally arranged along the inflorescence axis in catkin-like racemes borne on spurs from old wood and even on the trunk (cauliflory); they are pollinated by both wind and insects.

When the sweet, ripe pods eventually fall to the ground, they are eaten by various mammals, such as swine, thereby dispersing the hard inner seed in the excrement.

[citation needed] The seeds of the carob tree contain leucodelphinidin, a colourless flavanol precursor related to leucoanthocyanidins.

[8] ' Ceratonia siliqua, the scientific name of the carob tree, derives from the Greek κερατωνία keratōnia, "carob-tree" (cf.

In Yiddish, it is called באקסער bokser, derived from the Middle High German bokshornboum "ram's horn tree" (in reference to the shape of the carob).

Early Spanish settlers named them algarrobo after the carob tree because they also produce pods with sweet pulp.

As a xerophyte (drought-resistant species), carob is well adapted to the conditions of the Mediterranean region with just 250 to 500 millimetres (10 to 20 in) of rainfall per year.

[19] Carob trees can survive long periods of drought, but to grow fruit, they need 500 to 550 millimetres (20 to 22 in) of rainfall per year.

[26] In some experiments, young carob trees were capable of basic physiological functions under high-salt conditions (40 mmol NaCl/L).

The sowing occurs in pot nurseries in early spring and the cooling- and drying-sensitive seedlings are then transplanted to the field in the next year after the last frost.

Hermaphroditic or male trees, which produce fewer or no pods, respectively, are usually planted in lower densities in the orchards as pollenizers.

[19] Although it is native to moderately dry climates, two or three summers' irrigation greatly aid the development, hasten the fruiting, and increase the yield of a carob tree.

[30] The most labour-intensive part of carob cultivation is harvesting, which is often done by knocking the fruit down with a long stick and gathering them together with the help of laid-out nets.

The literature recommends research to get the fruit to ripen more uniformly or also for cultivars which can be mechanically harvested (by shaking).

Processing of the pulp includes grinding for animal feed production or roasting and milling for human food industry.

[19] Though a partially successful breaking of the dioecy happened, the yield of hermaphrodite trees still cannot compete with that of female plants, as their pod-bearing properties are worse.

[33] Future breeding would be focused on processing-quality aspects, as well as on properties for better mechanization of harvest or better-yielding hermaphroditic plants.

[19] Carob products consumed by humans come from the dried, sometimes roasted, pod, which has two main parts: the pulp accounts for 90% and the seeds 10% by weight.

In Malta, a traditional sweet called karamelli tal-harrub and eaten during the Christian holidays of Lent and Good Friday is made from carob pods.

If galactomannans are mixed with other gelling substances, such as carrageenan, they can be used to effectively thicken the liquid part of food.

[42][43][44] Carob pod meal is also used as an energy-rich feed for livestock, particularly for ruminants, though its high tannin content may limit this use.

The result is a cold beverage, also called kharrub,[51][52][53] which is sold by juice shops and street vendors, especially in summer.

[56][57] Although this syrup is frequently sold and eaten as is, haroupomelo is also used as a base for a local toffee-like sweet snack known as pasteli.

[citation needed] In Libya, carob syrup (called rub) is used as a complement to asida (made from wheat flour).

[citation needed] The so-called "carob syrup" made in Peru is actually from the fruit of the Prosopis nigra tree.

[59] The carob tree is widely cultivated in the horticultural nursery industry as an ornamental plant for Mediterranean climates and other temperate regions around the world, being especially popular in California and Hawaii.

The plant develops a sculpted trunk and the form of an ornamental tree after being "limbed up" as it matures, otherwise it is used as a dense and large screening hedge.