Madagascar cardamom, Wild cardamom
Aframomum angustifolium
Family: Zingiberaceae
What it is like
A ginger family plant. It is a herb that keeps growing from year to year. It has stems 2 m high. They are made up of the leaf bases. The rootstock is thick and creeping. It grows in dense stands. The leaves arise in two ranks from underground rhizomes or stems. The leaf blades are 40 cm long by 12 cm wide. The tip narrows to a point. The flower is like a canna but is at the base of the stem. The flower has a protruding lip that is orange tipped with scarlet. The fruit is a narrow egg shape and turns red when ripe. It can be 8 cm long and 3 cm wide. It has a pointed tip. The seeds are oval and 4-5 mm long by 2-3 mm wide. They are smooth.
There are about 50 Aframomum species.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edge of the forest. It is often near the edges of swamps. In Tanzania it grows between 1,000-1,700 m above sea level and in areas with a rainfall between 900-2,200 mm. It does well in sandy clay loam soils.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, Congo R, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The ripe fruit are eaten raw. It is the sugary pulp that is eaten. The dried seeds are used like pepper for seasoning. They are used to flavour porridge and bread. They are also added to coffee.
The fruit are enjoyed by children. It is a cultivated food plant. It is sold in local markets.
Edible parts
Fruit, seeds, leaves, root, spice
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seed.
Its other names
Local names
Amatehe, Amatungulu, Amatunguru, Dark crimson cardamom, Gingenga da mata, Ginger lily, Gobeni, Great Cardamom, Ijooja, Itungulu, Kinsansi, Kongo amor, Lingoza, Lingozakelt, Linguwisha, Longouze, Longoza, Mansasa ma mfinda, Matongururu, Matungulu, Msamaka, Mtunguru, Mtuguu, Mtweve, Nthungula, Oceyo, Omushaasha, Oseyo, Samaka, Tchankoko, Tungulu, Tunguru
Synonyms
Aframomum baumannii K. Schum.; Aframomum hanburyi K. Schum.; Aframomum sanguineum (K. Schum.) K. Schum.; Amomum angustifolium Sonn.; Amomum clusii T. Hanb. [Illegitimate]; Amomum clusii Sm.; Amomum clusii Hook.f.; Amomum danielii Hook. f.; Amomum erythrocarpum Ridl.; Amomum madagascariense Lam. [Illegitimate]; Amomum melegueta (Gaertn.) Giseke [Illegitimate]; Amomum nemorosum Bojer [Invalid]; Amomum sanguineum K. Schum.; Amomum sansibaricum Werth; Cardamomum angustifolium (Sonn.) Kuntze; Cardamomum clusii (Sm.) Kuntze; Cardamomum melegueta Kuntze; Marogna paludosa Salisb. [Illegitimate]; Zingiber melegueta Gaertn. [Illegitimate];