Ceratonia siliqua harubh. "Ceratonia siliqua", the scientific name of the carob tree, derives from the Greek "kerátiοn" κεράτιον 'fruit of the carob (from "keras" κέρας 'horn'), and Latin "siliqua" 'pod, carob'. The unit "carat", used for weighing precious metal and stones, also comes from κεράτιον, as alluding to an ancient practice of weighing gold and gemstones against the seeds of the carob tree by people in the Middle East. The system was eventually standardized, and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams. In late Roman times, the pure gold coin known as the "solidus" weighed 24 carat seeds (about 4.5 grams). As
Eight Carat produced a colt by General Assembly named Knesset, who won the Ballyogan Stakes in 1988 and Habibti, the British champion sprinter and Horse of the Year in 1983. Eight Carat raced for three seasons in England in the late 1970s but showed no discernible ability, failing to win in five races. She was sold for 9,400 guineas in December 1979. During her career as a broodmare, Eight Carat produced five Group One winners: Her influence now extends to several generations and includes her daughters: Eight Carat's sons: Octagonal, Kaapstad, Colombia and Mouawad have all stood at stud. Octagonal is currently