tagarind

Tagarind is a fictional genus of flowering plants commonly featured in speculative fiction and worldbuilding contexts. It is typically portrayed as a resin-producing shrub or small tree of humid riverine forests in the imagined continent of Aridia and its surrounding archipelagos.

Species of Tagarind are described as ranging from 2 to 6 meters in height. They have evergreen, opposite leaves that are elliptic in shape, and they bear small, inconspicuous flowers that are often white or pale yellow. The fruit is a dry capsule containing several seeds. A defining trait is the amber-colored resin that oozes from bark or lenticels, which is valued in many narratives for its adhesive and medicinal properties.

In ecology and habitat terms, Tagarind is associated with humid lowland forests and floodplains, frequently growing along river margins. It is depicted as adapted to seasonal inundation. Pollination is usually attributed to nocturnal moths, and seed dispersal is aided by water or small mammals in various storylines. The plant’s ecological role is often tied to resin extraction practices and to interactions with other swamp-adapted species.

Uses and cultural significance are central to many Tagarind portrayals. The resin is depicted for varnish, waterproofing, and traditional medicine, while edible tubers appear in some folklore as a famine staple. In several narratives, Tagarind resin is attributed with magical or ritual properties and is used in dyes and cosmetics. Sustainable harvesting and conservation themes are sometimes explored in worldbuilding communities.

Taxonomically, Tagarind is placed in the fictional family Tagariaceae and broader order Rosiflorales, with authors varying on exact delimitations. The name appears in worldbuilding glossaries and regionally diverse nomenclatures across different works.