Ceratonia siliqua
- Grow your own Carob Tree, a flowering evergreen from the Mediterranean and Middle East widely cultivated for its edible pods
- 100% guaranteed
- Seed-grown on California's Redwood Coast
- Transplanting and care instructions included
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Moisture Medium |
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Cold Hardiness 20°F |
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Light Full Sun |
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Size 30 – 50' tall / 20 – 50' spread |
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Lifespan 100 yrs |
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Growth Rate Moderate |
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Drought Tolerance High |
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Wind Resistance High |
About the Carob Tree
From the United States Department of Agriculture:
Growth habit:
Ceratonia siliqua — carob, St. John’s bread, or locust — is a small to medium-sized broadleaf, evergreen tree that may grow to 20 m in height under ideal climatic conditions but usually reaches heights of 8 to 15 m. Carob is thought to be a tropical plant that has adapted well to Mediterranean climates by utilizing its deep rooting habit and xerophilous leaves to avoid water stress. The deep taproot’s penetration into moist regions of the soil profile effectively lengthens the active growth period for carob leaves during the Mediterranean dry season.
Occurrence:
Carob is native to the eastern Mediterranean from the southern coast of Asia Minor to Syria. It has been cultivated for thousands of years as a forage crop on a wide variety of soils in Asian, European, and North African countries along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Carob’s sensitivity to low temperatures limits its area of distribution. Since its introduction to the United States in 1854, carob has done well only in the warm subtropical climates (southern Florida, the Gulf States, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California) where annual rainfall is not below 30 to 35 cm.
Use:
Carob legumes (pods) are commonly used as animal feed or ground into flour and mixed with other cereals for human consumption. The legumes are rich in protein and sugar and are a highly nutritious livestock feed, comparable to barley and superior to oats.
However, the high sugar content (< 50%) is offset by a high tannin content (16 to 20%) that inhibits protein assimilation. Techniques are currently being developed to enzymatically separate and extract the phenolic tannin compounds to increase utilization. Legumes are also used in making health foods (as a chocolate “substitute”), carob syrup, and medicines such as laxatives and diuretics. In addition, they can be used as a cheap carbohydrate source for ethanol production, yielding 160 g of ethanol/kg of dry legumes. The annual production of carob legumes is 340,000 to 400,000 metric tons (374,800 to 441,000 tons), with Greece, Spain, Italy, and Portugal being primary producers. Carob seeds are extremely hard, but the endosperm contains 30 to 40% by weight of galactomanane polysaccharides collectively known as carob-, or locust-bean gum. The compound is a valuable stabilizing and thickening additive used in the food processing, pharmaceutical, textile, paper, and petroleum industries.
The adaptability, ease of cultivation, and aesthetic appeal of carob also make it a desirable landscape plant. It is chiefly valuable in the United States as an ornamental evergreen but has been used to some extent in environmental plantings.
About Jonsteen's Seedlings
All of our trees are seed-grown at our nursery on California's Redwood Coast, which is inspected monthly and licensed by the California Department of Agriculture. Trees can provide a natural barrier against high winds, temperatures, noise pollution and soil erosion, all while benefiting local air quality, wildlife and property values — a Jonsteen seedling will only grow in value and beauty
About Jonsteen's 100% Guarantee
All of our trees are guaranteed to arrive healthy and in good condition. If your tree perishes despite your honest efforts, we will be happy to replace it with a small-sized seedling for just the cost of shipping/handling. You can learn more about our guarantee and tree replacement policy here.
Seedling Size Chart: Medium
Due to the dynamic nature of actively growing trees, as well as the tremendous variation between species’ growth rates, we rely on the cubic volume of a seedling’s root mass to determine its “size” (Small / Medium / Large / XL). Within each size there is minor variance — the dimensions provided here represent the category minimum. If exact measurements are essential, please contact us about current stock.
