Leaf
Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Carob
Ceratonia siliqua L.
Also known as: Carob tree, Locust bean
Family: Fabaceae
8 to 15 m tall
Planted in hot, dry Mediterranean climates, poor stony soils
Flowering: September – November
Full sun
Not very hardy, dislikes frost below -7°C, needs a Mediterranean climate
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The word carat comes from the Greek keration (carob seed): merchants once used these seeds, hand-sorted for their similar weight, as a unit of measure for gold and precious stones.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, compound, with glossy, leathery, oval leaflets
🌸 Flowers
Small, reddish, petal-less, grouped in racemes along the twigs; species most often dioecious
🍎 Fruits
Long, brown, leathery pod (the carob), sweet pulp surrounding very hard, uniform seeds
🪵 Bark
Grey, rough
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the eastern Mediterranean basin; cultivated and sometimes naturalised around the French Mediterranean coast
🐝 Value for pollinators
Autumn flowering rich in nectar, a useful late resource for bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Drought-resistant fruit and ornamental tree, the pulp of its pods is used as a cocoa substitute
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Pod edible; no known toxicity
🌿 Other Fabaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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