Another member of the pea family, Fabaceae, the carob tree is commonly cultivated for both its fruit and its beauty. Native to Mediterranean Africa and Europe, this medium tree is drought tolerant and frost tolerant to about 20 degrees. With large, glossy, dark green, pinnate leaves and a semi-spherical crown, this tree has a very classic appearance. It has both male and female individuals. The males do not produce pods, which are large and prodigious on female trees and can take a full year to develop. The most common use for these characteristic pods is as a thickening agent in food, but they are also used as a sweetener and a substitute for cocoa powder. With 8 of these stately trees on campus, you don’t have to go far to see one in person!
