Clove

The dried flower-buds of a tropical tree from the Moluccas, Indonesia; bud of Syzygium aromaticum, also known as clove; cloves. See also nutmeg, mace.

Overview

CLOVE is a culinary, and medicinal spice, cultivated for its flower buds. It is yielded from the plant Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry, a shrub or tree in the Myrtaceae family, growing in wet tropical biome, with a native range of Maluku.¹

It is used primarily in meats, sauces; anesthetic. Its aroma is described as sweet, pungent, astringent, with a heat index of 5.²

See more in ( Citation: POWO, 2024 POWO (2024). Plants of the world online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ ; Citation: Petruzzello, 2021 Petruzzello, M. (2021). List of herbs and spices. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-herbs-and-spices-2024392 ; Citation: Wyk, 2014 Wyk, B. (2014). Culinary herbs and spices of the world. University of Chicago Press, joint publication with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ; Citation: Dalby, 2000 Dalby, A. (2000). Dangerous tastes: the story of spices. University of California Press. ; Citation: Hill, 2004 Hill, T. (2004). The contemporary encyclopedia of herbs and spices: Seasonings for the global kitchen. J. Wiley. ; Citation: Anderson, 2023 Anderson, I. (2023). The history and natural history of spices: the 5000-year search for flavour. The History Press. )

Illustration of Syzygium aromaticum from Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen ( Citation: 1887 Köhler, H. (1887). Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erläuterndem Texte: Atlas zur Pharmacopoea germanica, austriaca, belgica, danica, helvetica, hungarica, rossica, suecica, Neerlandica, British pharmacopoeia, zum Codex medicamentarius, sowie zur Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America. Franz Eugen Köhler. Retrieved from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/623 ) II 125.

Distribution

Native and introduced habitats of Syzygium aromaticum³

Native areas:       Maluku

Introduced areas: Gulf of Guinea Is., Tanzania, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, India, Nicobar Is., Borneo, Caroline Is., Trinidad-Tobago

Bibliography