Seeds from Phyllanthus emblica or the Indian gooseberry. The tree is small to medium in size, reaching 50 feet in height, with a crooked trunk and spreading branches. The branchlets are glabrous or finely pubescent, 10 to 20 cm long, usually deciduous the leaves are simple, subsessile and closely set along branchlets, light green, resembling pinnate leaves. The flowers are greenish yellow. The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite smooth and hard on appearance, with six vertical stripes or furrows. Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to upper branches bearing the fruits. The taste of Indian gooseberry is sour, bitter and astringent, and it is quite fibrous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt water and turmeric to make the sour fruits palatable. It is also used to straighten hair. Zones 9b to 11.