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Cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum
カルダモン
A perennial in the ginger family, native to southern India and Sri Lanka. The dried seeds — the spice cardamom — are called 'queen of spices' and are the third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla. Their cool, sweet fragrance is central to Indian cooking (garam masala, chai) and to Nordic baking. Japanese name 'shōzuku'. Reaches 2–3 m, with flowering stalks bearing white flowers emerging from the rhizome.
Identification Points
- ✓2–3 m tall; alternate long-elliptic leaves
- ✓Flowering stalks arise separately from the rhizome
- ✓Three-sided green capsule containing small black seeds
Habitat
Cultivated (tropical rainforest understory)
Season
Year-round (flowers and fruit)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Growth form
Herb
Flower color
White
Habitat
Cultivated
Phylogenetic Positionショウガ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Zingiberales > Zingiberaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (from about 80 million years ago)
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification