Elettaria cardamomum

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Green cardamom
True cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum - Kohler-s Medizinal-Pflanzen-057.jpg
True cardamom
(Elettaria cardamomum)
1896 illustration [1]
Cardamom pods - Green BNC.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Elettaria
Species:
E. cardamomum
Binomial name
Elettaria cardamomum
Synonyms [2]
  • Amomum cardamomumL.
  • Amomum repensSonn., illegitimate superfluous name
  • Amomum racemosumLam., illegitimate superfluous name
  • Alpinia cardamomum(L.) Roxb.
  • Cardamomum officinaleSalisb.
  • Zingiber cardamomum(L.) Stokes
  • Matonia cardamomum(L.) Stephenson & J.M.Churchill
  • Cardamomum verumOken, illegitimate superfluous name
  • Elettaria repensBaill., illegitimate superfluous name
  • Elettaria cardamomum var. minorWatt, not validly published
  • Cardamomum elletariGarsault, rejected name
  • Zingiber minusGaertn.
  • Amomum ensalRaeusch.
  • Amomum uncinatumStokes
  • Cardamomum malabaricumPritz.
  • Cardamomum minus(Gaertn.) Kuntze
  • Elettaria cardamomum var. minusculaBurkill, without description

Elettaria cardamomum, commonly known as green cardamom or true cardamom, is a herbaceous, perennial plant in the ginger family, native to southern India. It is the most common of the species whose seeds are used as a spice called cardamom that has a sharp, strong, punchy aroma. It is cultivated widely in tropical regions and reportedly naturalized in Réunion, Indochina, and Costa Rica. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Growth

ElettariaCardamomum.jpg

Elettaria cardamomum is a pungent, aromatic, herbaceous, perennial plant, growing to about 2–4 m (6 ft 7 in – 13 ft 1 in) in height. The leaves are alternate in two ranks, linear-lanceolate, 40–60 cm (16–24 in) long, with a long pointed tip. The flowers are white to lilac or pale violet, produced in a loose spike 30–60 cm (12–24 in) long. The fruit is a three-sided yellow-green pod 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) long, containing several (15-20) black and brown seeds.

Use

The green seed pods of the plant are dried and the seeds inside the pod are used in Indian and other Asian cuisines, either whole or ground. It is the most widely cultivated species of cardamom; for other types and uses, see cardamom.

Cardamom pods as used as spice Cardamone.jpg
Cardamom pods as used as spice

True cardamom may have been used in Ayurveda medicine as early as the 4th century BC. [6] Ground cardamom is an ingredient in many Indian curries and is a primary contributor to the flavour of masala chai . In Iran and India, cardamom is used to flavour coffee and tea. Cardamom has been used medicinally in traditional practices for nausea, kidney disorders, gum infections, and cataracts. [7]

In addition to its native range, it is grown in Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Central America. In India, the states of Sikkim and Kerala are the main producers of cardamom; they rank highest both in cultivated area and in production.

Biology

The primary volatile components are terpinyl acetate and eucalyptol. [8]

Ecology

E. cardamomum is used as a food plant by the larvae of the moth Endoclita hosei . [9]

Varieties

Cardamom plant Cardamom plant.jpg
Cardamom plant

The three natural varieties of green cardamom plants are:

Recently, a few planters isolated high-yielding plants and started multiplying them on a large scale. The most popular high-yielding variety is 'Njallani', which is a unique high-yielding cardamom variety developed by an Indian farmer, Sebastian Joseph, at Kattappana in the South Indian state of Kerala. [10] [11] [12] [13] K. J. Baby of Idukki District, Kerala, has developed a purely white-flowered variety of Vazhuka type green cardamom having higher yield than 'Njallani'. The variety has high adaptability to different shade conditions and can also be grown in waterlogged areas. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardamom</span> Spice

Cardamom, sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small, black seeds; Elettaria pods are light green and smaller, while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.

<i>Elettaria</i> Genus of plants

Elettaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zingiberaceae. They are native to India and Sri Lanka, but cultivated and naturalized elsewhere. One member of the genus, E. cardamomum, is a commercially important spice used as a flavouring agent in many countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idukki district</span> District in Kerala, India

Idukki is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala in the southwest of the country. It is the largest district in Kerala and lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district contains two municipal towns – Kattappana and Thodupuzha, and five taluks.

<i>Cassia fistula</i> Species of plant

Cassia fistula, also known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, kani konna, or pudding-pipe tree, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It is the official state flower of Kerala state and Delhi UT in India. It is also a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine.

<i>Amomum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Amomum is a genus of plants containing about 111 species native to China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland. It includes several species of cardamom. Plants of this genus are remarkable for their pungency and aromatic properties.

<i>Sesbania grandiflora</i> Species of legume

Sesbania grandiflora, commonly known as vegetable hummingbird, katurai, agati, or West Indian pea, is a small leguminous tree native to Maritime Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It has edible flowers and leaves commonly eaten in Southeast Asia and South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kattappana</span> Municipality in Kerala, India

Kattappana ([kaʈ:ap:ɐna]) is a municipality in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is located 21 km (13.0 mi) southeast of the district headquarters in Painavu and about 140 km (87.0 mi) north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. Kattappana is the second-largest municipality in the district by population, and serves as a major hub for commercial and economic activity for the surrounding region.

Cardamom may refer to:

Nedumkandam is the headquarters of Udumbanchola taluk which is situated in Idukki district of the Indian state of Kerala. Nedumkandam is among the fastest growing towns in the Idukki district. Nedumkandam is well known for its spices production and is a major contributor to the production of spices like cardamom and pepper. This town situated an average elevation of 900 meter above sea level and maximum elevation respectively 1190 meter 1100 meter and 975 meter and is a destination for economical stay and shopping for tourists in the popular Kumily-Munnar tourist route.

<i>Lobelia inflata</i> Species of plant

Lobelia inflata, also known as Indian tobacco or puke weed, is a species of Lobelia native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern United States to Alabama and west to Kansas.

<i>Cola acuminata</i> Species of plant

Cola acuminata is a species in the genus Cola, of the family Malvaceae, native to tropical Africa. It is generally known for its fruit, the kola nut, originally used to impart the cola flavor in manufactured beverages, such as Coca-Cola.

In the cuisine of Sikkim, in northeastern India, rice is a staple food, and fermented foods traditionally constitute a significant portion of the cuisine. Nepalese cuisine is popular, as Sikkim is the only state of India with an ethnic Nepali majority. Many restaurants in Sikkim serve various types of Nepalese cuisine, such as the Limbu, Newa and Thakali cuisines. Tibetan cuisine has also influenced Sikkimese cuisine. The combination of various cuisines has resulted in one specific cuisine.

<i>Schoenocaulon</i> Genus of flowering plants

Schoenocaulon is a North American genus of perennial herbaceous flowering plants, ranging from the southern United States to Peru. It is a member of the Melanthiaceae, according to the APG III classification system, and is placed in the tribe Melanthieae. Unlike other genera in the tribe, the flowers are arranged in a spike; depending on the species the flower stalks for each flower are either very short or completely absent. Feathershank is a common name, the medicinally used S. officinale is called Sabadilla.

<i>Artemisia cina</i> Species of flowering plant

Artemisia cina, commonly known as santonica, Levant wormseed, and wormseed, is an Asian species of herbaceous perennial in the daisy family. Its dried flowerheads are the source of the vermifugic drug santonin since ancient times. Its common names arise from its known ability to expel worms. The powder is grayish-green in colour with an aromatic odour and a bitter taste. Dysphania ambrosioides is another plant with the common name wormseed, called epazote in Mexican cuisine.

<i>Aframomum corrorima</i> Species of plant in the family Zingiberaceae

Aframomum corrorima is a species of flowering plant in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is an herbaceous perennial that produces leafy stems 1–2 meters tall from rhizomatous roots. The alternately-arranged leaves are dark green, 10–30 cm long and 2.5–6 cm across, elliptical to oblong in shape. Pink flowers are borne near the ground and give way to red, fleshy fruits containing shiny brown seeds, which are typically 3–5 mm in diameter.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to herbs and spices:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alleppey Green Cardamom</span>

Alleppey Green Cardamom is a variety of cardamom that originated from the present day of the Indian state of Kerala. The area of production of this variety of pepper spans across Southern Kerala, Western and Southern Tamil Nadu along the Western Ghats. It finds mention in ancient Hindu texts and is one of the spices traded since antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spice use in antiquity</span>

The history of spices reach back thousands of years, dating back to the 8th century B.C. Spices are widely known to be developed and discovered in Asian civilizations. Spices have been used in a variety of antique developments for their unique qualities. There were a variety of spices that were used for common purposes across the ancient world. Different spices hold a value that can create a variety of products designed to enhance or suppress certain taste and/or sensations. Spices were also associated with certain rituals to perpetuate a superstition or fulfill a religious obligation, among other things.

The cardamom mosaic virus (CdMV) is a mosaic virus that affects the production of green cardamom (E. cardamomum). It is a member of the genus Macluravirus (recognized under the family Potyviridae by ICTV in 1988), and is transmitted through aphids (P.caladii) and infected rhizomes, the former in a non-persistent manner.

References

  1. Elettaria cardamomum - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen - Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen
  2. 1 2 "Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families". Apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  3. Larsen, K. (1996). A preliminary checklist of the Zingiberaceae of Thailand. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) 24: 35-49.
  4. Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
  5. Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
  6. Pickersgill, Barbara (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 158. ISBN   0415927463.
  7. Ashokkumar, Kaliyaperumal; Murugan, Muthusamy; Dhanya, M.K.; Warkentin, Thomas D. (January 2020). "Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of cardamom [Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton] – A critical review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 246: 112244. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2019.112244. ISSN   0378-8741.
  8. Johnson, Arielle J.; Heymann, Hildegarde; Ebeler, Susan E. (2015). "Volatile and sensory profiling of cocktail bitters" (PDF). Food Chemistry. 179: 343–354. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  9. Shaista Kokab and Shahid Ahmad (2011). "Developing Herbal Pharmaceutics in Pakistan – II: Distinctiveness of Selected Medicinal Herbs and Uses" (PDF). Managing Natural Resources for Sustaining Future Agriculture. 3 (21).[ permanent dead link ]
  10. Unsung Hero: Tale of an ingenious farmer, www.rediff.com, 30 May 2007.
  11. "New cardamom variety – Njallani", National Innovation Foundation, Idukki, Kerala, India: Department of Science and Technology
  12. "Poor rainfall may hit cardamom crop". The Hindu Business Line. 6 July 2007.
  13. "Cardamom: Scientists, Njallani developers fight". CommodityOnline. 8 January 2008.
  14. "White Flowered Cardamom Variety" (PDF), Fourth National Technological Innovations & Traditional Knowledge Awards, India: National Innovation Foundation, Department of Science and Technology, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-17
Cardamom Flower Flower CardamomP1030443.JPG
Cardamom Flower