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Tamarind is very rich in iron and vitamin C. The seeds are dried
and powdered and can be used as a flour. Tender tamarind
leaves and tamarind flowers are also used in cooking.
The tree gives very dense shade in summer. There are many
superstitions in India about the tamarind tree. People believe
that ghosts live on its branches and that one must not sleep
under it at night.
If you look closely at the leaves of a tamarind tree at night, you
will notice that they fold up. Of course, the truth is that, because
the big tree breathes out carbon dioxide, it is not healthy to
sleep under it at night. It is thought that many, many years ago,
the tree was brought from Africa. It began to grow very well in
this country and now it is very hard to believe that it came from
another country.
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