Ceratonia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ceratonia |
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| Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) | |
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Ceratonia is a small group of flowering trees. These trees belong to the pea family, called Fabaceae. You can mostly find them growing naturally in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.
The most famous tree in this group is the carob tree. People grow carob trees for their tasty fruits, which look like long pods. These trees are now grown in many other places with similar warm climates.
This group of trees is part of a larger plant family called Caesalpinioideae.
Naming the Ceratonia Genus
The name Ceratonia was first given to this group of trees by a famous scientist. His name was Carl Linnaeus. He officially described the genus in his important book, Species Plantarum, in 1753.
The first tree he described for this group was the carob tree. Its scientific name is Ceratonia siliqua. This particular tree is known as the "type specimen" for the genus.
Discovering New Ceratonia Species
For a long time, people thought that Ceratonia only had one type of tree. This is called being "monotypic."
However, in 1979, scientists found a second species. This new tree was named Ceratonia oreothauma. It was discovered growing in Oman and Somalia. This discovery showed that the Ceratonia genus was not monotypic after all.
Images for kids
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Carob fruit pods
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A full carob tree
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Carob tree flowers
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More carob fruits
See also
In Spanish: Ceratonia para niños
