Lakpura's Terminalia Catappa Whole Seed is the tropical almond in its complete, unhusked form, as it falls from the tree: an oval, pointed drupe wrapped in a fibrous outer husk, with the almond-like kernel held safely inside. Known in Sinhala as Kottamba and elsewhere as Indian almond or Java almond, this is the whole fruit rather than a shelled or processed product, sold exactly as it is gathered from the tree.
The tree itself is a familiar sight along Sri Lanka's coasts and roadsides, a large, spreading species that tolerates wind, salt spray and sandy, freely drained soils, which is why it thrives so readily near the sea and is often planted for the deep shade its broad, horizontal branches provide. The fruit ripens through a run of colours, from green through yellow to red or brown, and the husk you see on each seed reflects that stage of ripening, which is why this listing includes both a green, fresher-husked variant and a brown, dried-husk variant. Beneath the husk lies the true seed, cylindrical and firm, prized for its almond-like flavour and soft, oily texture once it is opened.
Whole seeds like these are valued for more than eating. Aquarium keepers, particularly those who keep bettas and shrimp, soak whole Kottamba seeds and husks to release natural tannins into the water, gradually softening it and giving it the amber tint associated with blackwater habitats, a technique long used alongside the tree's leaves for the same purpose. Kept whole and unhusked, the seed stores well and can be opened for its kernel or used intact for soaking, depending on what you have in mind for it.
This is a raw, whole-fruit product, not a shelled kernel and not a bulk planting pack. Buyers wanting the kernel purely for eating or planting in quantity should look to Lakpura's separate viable seed listing sold by weight; this listing is the whole seed-in-husk, offered here as either the green or the brown husk variant shown.
