Elettaria cardamomum
Common Names: cardamom, Malabar cardamom, Ceylon cardamom
Family: Zingiberaceae (ginger Family)
Perennial For Wet, Boggy Areas Tolerant of Shade and Low Light
Conditions Edible Plant Has evergreen foliage
Description
Cardamom is a rather typical looking ginger plant except that it is
huge, standing as much as 12 ft ( 3.7 m) tall. Thick, fleshy
rhizomes give rise to erect shoots that bear two rows of
linear-lance-shaped leaves each about 2 ft (0.6 m) long. The leaves
are smooth and dark green above, silky and paler beneath. They taper
to an acute point. The inflorescences develop on separate,
horizontal stems that spread along the ground. They are loose
panicles about 2 ft (0.6 m) long, consisting of many small blossoms
that have white or yellowish petals with lilac veins and pink or
yellow margins. The fruits are thin-walled, smooth-skinned, oblong,
greenish capsules about 3/4 in (1.9 cm) long. Each contains 15-20
aromatic reddish brown seeds.
Location
Cardamom grows wild in the Ghat Mountains on the Malabar Coast of SW
India, in an area known as the Cardamom Hills. It occurs in the
understory of tropical rain forests at elevations of 2500 - 5000 ft
(762-1524 m), where it rains about 150 in (381 cm) per year. It also
grows in similar habitats in Sri Lanka. Cardamom is cultivated
commercially in India, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Tanzania.
Culture
Light: Cardamom grows in filtered shade.
Moisture: Cardamom grows with its roots continually wet. It needs
constant moisture. It does okay if the rain stops for a short
period, once in a while!
Hardiness: USDA Zones 10 - 12. A constant temperature around 72ºF
(22ºC) is best. Cardamom suffers at temperatures below 50ºF (10ºC).
Propagation: Cardamom usually is propagated by division of rhizomes.
Usage
Cardamom will flower and fruit only under tropical conditions. In
sub-tropical or temperate regions it makes an attractive foliage
plant in a warm green house. In areas that are frost-free, grow
cardamom in a shady and moist border or bed. Cardamom is a principal
ingredient in curry powders, and is used to flavor confectioneries,
liqueurs and chewing gums. In some parts of the world, especially
the Near East and Saudi Arabia, cardamom is ground and mixed with
coffee. In southeast Asia cardamom is mixed with betel leaves for
chewing. In the West it is used in perfumes. In Mexico and Guatemala
you can buy cardamom chewing gum - it is delicious! Scandinavians
use more cardamom than anyone else in the Western Hemisphere. They
use it to flavor breads, cakes, candies, sausages and other meats.
Add some ground cardamom to your next sweet pastry or apple pie.
Features
Cardamom is grown commercially in plantations under the shade of
tall forest trees. It is a very labor-intensive crop to produce. The
fruits are picked individually by hand before they are fully ripe,
over a period of several months. Only saffron and vanilla are more
expensive spices.
Ancient Indians, more than 1000 years before Christ, used
cardamom medicinally to treat various maladies. Cardamom, like
cinnamon and ginger, is a stimulant, and is said to relieve
indigestion, flatulence and headaches. The Greeks and Romans used it
as a culinary spice.
False cardamom, from other kinds of gingers in the genera Amomum
and Aframomum, is produced in Thailand and Cambodia, and sold as a
substitute for (or counterfeit of) the real thing. |
