Ceratonia siliquaCarob, St. John’s bread, locustEvergreen tree...

Ceratonia siliqua

Carob, St. John’s bread, locust

Evergreen tree with red flowers and edible pods

The carob has been cultivated nearly as long as the fig and the olive. Native to the Eastern Mediterranean region, its long brown pods were split open and the “beans” ground into a nutritious meal. Carobs are a member of the Leguminoseae family: Like beans and peas, carob is good for you, which explains why carob is such a popular item in health-food stores.

Unfortunately, carob has been promoted as a substitute for chocolate. It is delicious, with a rich, earthy flavor all its own, but chocolate it isn’t.

Carobs are planted extensively along freeways and streets because they need almost no additional water once established, thriving in summer heat and poor soil. The roots of older carobs can cause sidewalk upheaval, and their pods can be a litter nuisance to those who don’t care about all that free food at their feet.

But carobs are so sturdily attractive, their faults are easily forgiven. The dark green foliage grows in leaflets and looks almost dainty suspended above the massive, often gnarled trunk.

The small red flowers, which appear in spring, are scented. Some people find the odor disagreeable; I think it smells like bread baking, although that’s not why the plant is called St. John’s bread. Legend has it that the “locusts” eaten by St. John were carob pods (hence the plant’s other name, locust). The long pods appear after the flowers, gradually drying to leathery, deep brown appendages that linger on the tree for several weeks before dropping.

Carobs reach 30 or 40 feet in height and width, making dense, shady canopies over street and yard. Most carobs are actually more shrublike than towering, and they won’t become treelike unless their lower branches are trimmed away. Whatever their size, they make a good dark green background for an average or large garden. They are also quite handsome when planted as an allee; the stately carobs lining UCLA’s Portola Plaza are an excellent example.

Carobs are not big sellers, in spite of their drought-tolerant adaptability. However, most nurseries will be happy to order carobs for their customers. If you are extremely persistent and patient, you could try growing a carob tree from a carob bean.