Ceratonia siliqua (III) -flor-

Ceratonia siliqua, commonly known as the Carob tree and St John's-bread, is a species of flowering evergreen shrub or tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible legumes, and as an ornamental tree in gardens.

It is native to the Mediterranean region including Southern Europe, Northern Africa, the larger Mediterranean islands; to the Levant and Middle-East of Western Asia into Iran; and to the Canary Islands and Macaronesia.

The vernacular names in other cultures and languages for Ceratonia siliqua include: Arabic: خروب‎, kharrūb; German: Johannisbrotbaum; Greek: χαρουπιά, haroupia or ξυλοκερατιά, ksylokeratia ; Spanish: algarrobo, caroba; French: caroubier, caroube; Hebrew: חרוב‎ ḥaruv; Portuguese: alfarrobeira; Catalan: garrofa; Sicilian: carrubba; Turkish: keçiboynuzu; Croatian: rogač.

Ceratonia ( /ˌsɛrəˈtoʊniə/) is genus of flowering trees in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Mediterranean region. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae, tribe Caesalpinieae.

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species. The largest genera are Astragalus (over 2,400 species), Acacia (over 950 species), Indigofera (around 700 species), Crotalaria (around 700 species), and Mimosa (around 500 species).

Plants of this family are found throughout the world, growing in many different environments and climates. A number are important agricultural plants, including: Glycine max (soybean), Phaseolus (beans), Pisum sativum (pea), Cicer arietinum (chickpeas), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Arachis hypogaea (peanut), Ceratonia siliqua (carob), and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), which are among the best known members of Fabaceae.

A number of species are also weedy pests in different parts of the world, including: Cytisus scoparius (broom), Ulex europaeus (gorse), Pueraria lobata (kudzu), and a number of Lupinus species.