The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and its fruits:: descriptions, uses, applications

The scientific name of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) derives from the Greek word *keras*, meaning "horn," and the Latin word *siliqua*, meaning "silique" or "pod." This name aptly describes the hardness and shape of the fruit (Battle and Tous, 1997). The dialectal name varies by language; for example, it is called kharroub in Arabic, caroubier in French, carroubo in Italian, algarrobo in Spanish, and alfarrobeira in Portuguese (Battle and Tous, 1997). The carob tree is a tree with abundant, evergreen, and very dense foliage. It reaches a height of 7 to 10 m and has a trunk circumference at the base of 2 to 3 m (Figure I.1). It can grow to a height of 15 to 20 m under favorable environmental conditions (Battle and Tous, 1997). It is characterized by very hard, reddish wood, rough brown bark, sturdy branches, and strong roots that penetrate the soil to a depth of 18 m or even more. Its growth is very slow, especially early in its development, and it has a considerable lifespan of up to 200 years (Ait Chitt et al., 2007).