Cardamom, Ceylon cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum

Family: Zingiberaceae

What it is like

A ginger family herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows to 3 m high and spreads to 1 m across. It has a clump of leafy aerial stems and then thick fleshy underground stems. The leaves are long and can be 1 m x 30 cm. They are dark green and alternate. The leaves are paler and softly hairy underneath. The flowers are green and white and produced on a branched flower stalk near the ground. The flowers have a violet tip. Seed capsules with several wrinkled seeds develop. The capsule has 3 cells. They are pale green and have a sweet smell.

There are 7 Elettaria species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level up to about 1,800 m altitude in the tropics. In Papua New Guinea it is mostly between 550-1,700 m above sea level. It prefers warm, rich, moist soils. It needs a protected and partly shaded position. It is drought and frost tender. Seed need a temperature between 19 and 24°C to grow. Plants need a temperature above 10°C. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Andes, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bougainville, Cambodia, Caucasus, Central America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Hawaii, India (country/location of origin), Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, North America, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies

How it is used for food

The seeds are used as a flavouring. They are used in biscuits and cakes. It is also used in curries and added to coffee. The seeds are chewed after meals to sweeten the breath. The young shoots are eaten raw or steamed or roasted. Leaves are used for wrapping foods before cooking. The seeds are used in cakes.

It is being cultivated commercially in some lowland areas of Papua New Guinea.

Edible parts

Fruit, herb, spice, seeds, leaves

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed. It is normally grown under the shade of the primary rainforest. Seeds are slow to germinate. It can be grown from slips of plants.

The capsules are harvested when they are almost ripe but before they turn yellow. They are then dried in a warmed and ventilated shed.

Its other names

Local names

Bai dou kou, Buah pelaga, Cardamone, Choti-elachi, Ela, Elach, Elaichi, Elchi, Ella-kai, Enasal, Ensal, Hai, Ilaayaci, Illaichi, Kapulaga, Karadamungu, Kardemon, Krakao sbat, Kravan, Luk grawan, Luk kravan, Pai-tou-k'ou, Periyayalum, Phalazee, Phalar-phyu, Phalar-yaing, Upakunchika, Veldode, Xiao dou kou, Yelak-kayalu, Yelakkai, Yelakki, Yelam

Synonyms

Alpinia cardamomum (L.) Roxb.; Amomum cardamomum L.; Amomum ensal Raeusch.; Amomum racemosum Lam.; Amomum repens Sonn.; Amomum uncinatum Stokes; Cardamomum malabaricum Pritz.; Cardamomum minus (Gaertn.) Puntze; Cardamomum officinale Salisb.; Cardamomum verum Oken; Elletaria cardamomum var. minus Watt; Elettaria cardamomum var. minuscula Burkill; Matonia cardamomum (L.) Stephenson & J. M. Churchill; Zingiber minus Gaertn.;