| Elettaria | |
|---|---|
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| True Cardamom ( Elettaria cardamomum ) 1896 illustration [1] | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Subfamily: | Alpinioideae |
| Tribe: | Alpinieae |
| Genus: | Elettaria Maton, 1811 |
| Synonyms [2] | |
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Elettaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zingiberaceae. They are native to India and Sri Lanka, but cultivated and naturalized elsewhere. [2] One member of the genus, E. cardamomum , known as green cardamom or true cardamom, is a commercially important spice used as a flavouring agent in many countries.
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In 2018, several species were removed from Elettaria and placed in a new genus called Sulettaria . These species are recognized as of October 2018: [2] A phylogenetic analysis published in 2024 found that Elettaria was a well-defined clade of seven species native to India and Sri Lanka, which is sister to the African genus Aframomum and the African and Neotropical genus Renealmia , and distinct from the Sri Lankan genera Cyphostigma and Srilankanthus . [3]
