Ceratonia [3] ( lat. Ceratónia ) is an oligotypic genus of plants of the legume family ( Fabaceae ).
| Ceratonia |
Carob ( Ceratonia siliqua ), Sardinia |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Ceratonia L. , 1753 |
| Type view |
|---|
Ceratonia siliqua L. [2] - Carob |
|
Carob tree (
Ceratonia siliqua )
Botanical illustration from a book by
O. V. Tome Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz , 1885
Evergreen trees with paramorous leaves.
The scientific name of the genus comes from the Greek κεράτιον ( serátiοn ), κέρας ( ceras ), meaning "horn." The term carat , meaning a measure of weight , also comes from the same Greek κεράτιον ( cerátiοn ), in connection with the use of seeds of the species Ceratonia siliqua in ancient Rome as a measure of weight.
The genus includes only two species [4] :
- Ceratonia oreothauma Hillc. et al.
- Ceratonia siliqua L. typus [2] - Carob , or Ceratonia siliculose , or Tsaregradsky pods
The carob tree ( Ceratonia siliqua ) is cultivated to produce the E410 gum food supplement .
