Wild nutmeg
Myristica beddomei
Family: Myristicaceae
What it is like
A tree. It keeps its leaves throughout the year. It grows about 12-25 m tall. The trunk is 40 cm across. The male and female flowers are on separate trees. The leaves are simple and alternate. The leaf blade is 12-25 cm long by 4-10 cm wide. They are oblong or narrowly oval. The leaves are shiny above and dull and waxy underneath. The male flowers are in groups of 10-20 on short stalks in dense clusters in the axils of leaves. The female flowers are in groups of 3-4. The fruit are 3-7 cm long and 4-6 cm wide. It has a single hard seed covered by an orange-yellow aril. This is deeply cut into many lobes. The ripe fruit fall and then split open on the ground. There are some subspecies.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in mid-altitude evergreen forests in the Western Ghats in India. It grows between 1,000-1,500 m above sea level.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, India, Sri Lanka
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Spice
How it is grown
In nature, fruit are spread by monkeys and squirrels.
It flowers April to May and fruit mature a year later.
Its other names
Local names
Adakkapayin, Chithirapoovu, Kattujathi, Kothappayin, Painpoo, Pasupathi, Pathipoovu