Brazil pimento, Fragrant lidflower
Calyptranthes aromatica

Family: Myrtaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 4-7 m high. It has the smell of cloves. The crown is wide and the leaves are spread out. The trunk is short and crooked. The branches are long and almost touch the ground. The leaves are reddish when young. The leaves are oval and rough. They are 35-50 cm long by 17-23 cm wide. There are 14-20 pairs of side veins. The flowers can be in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The fruit are round and red and become black when ripe.

There are about 200 Calyptranthes species. They are trees and shrubs in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on slopes in the Atlantic forest in Brazil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Brazil (country/location of origin), South America

How it is used for food

The flower buds are used as cloves. The berries are used as allspice.

Edible parts

Flower buds, fruit, bark, spice

How it is grown

The plant is grown from seeds. The seeds are collected by shaking the ripe fruit onto a canvas and putting them into a plastic bag so they can partly decompose and the seeds washed out in running water. The seeds need to be planted while fresh and are best in light shade. Seeds germinate in 30-50 days.

Plants grow slowly. They can be 2 m high after 2 years.

Its other names

Local names

Craverio-da-terra

Synonyms

Chytraculia aromatica (A. St.-Hil.) Kuntze;