Elettaria cardamomum
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Species name: Elettaria cardamomum
Elettaria cardamomum is the spice Cardamom or "Elaichi" used for cooking in many parts of the world and in India. It is popularly used to spice up tea in India. Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India, they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds. Elettaria pods are light green while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown. (Source: Wikipedia)
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- Species identity and nomenclature
- Current Wikipedia entry
- Binomial Classification
- Morphological features
- Habitat and Geographical Spread
- Maps
- Medicinal Importance
- Cultural significance
- Commercial importance and cultivation
- Summary of PubMed articles
- Summary of NCBI molecular data
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| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Names of users who have contributed to this species page | Gauravm | |
| Date on which this page was first created | 2010/08/15 | |
| This page was last modified on: | 6 September 2010 15:17:26 | |
| Name of the species | Elettaria cardamomum | |
| ID on Encyclopedia of Life | ||
| Synonyms | Please check Binomial Classification section for synonyms. | |
| Common English Names | Cardamom, Green cardamom | |
| Common Hindi Names | इलाएची Elaichi | |
| Common Indian names | इलाएची Elaichi (Hindi);इलाची Elachi (Marathi);Elam Ancha (Tamil);Elatarri (Malayalam);Elaki (Telugu);Elakki (Kannada);Elaichi (Urdu);الاچی,Trutih (Sanskrit) | Flowers of India |
| Origins/Meanings of the common names | The word cardamom is derived from the Latin "cardamomum",the romanization of the Greek "καρδάμωμον" (kardamomon), in turn from "κάρδαμον" (kardamon), "cress" + "ἄμωμον" (amomon), a kind of an Indian spice plant. The earliest attested form of the word kardamon is the Mycenaean Greek ka-da-mi-ja, written in Linear B syllabic script. (Wikipedia Cardamom)
Cardamom, popularly known as ‘Queen of Spices’, is the dried fruit of the tall perennial herbaceous plant Elettaria cardamomum Maton, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. The generic name is probably derived from the ancient Tamil word ‘elattari’ meaning the seed of ‘Elam’ (Sasya Sampada) It is said that cardamom grew in the gardens of King of Babylon in 720 BC. The ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom to whiten their teeth and simultaneously sweeten their breath. Indian Ayurvedic Medicine used the spice to ‘remove fat’ and as a cure for urinary and skin complaints. Recommended by Apicius, a famous Roman epicure, to counteract over indulgence. Used in Saudi Arabia for preparing traditional coffee – cardamom drink called ‘Gahwa’, which is given to visitors as a symbol of Arab hospitality and as an inducement to tranquil thoughts. It is a tradition that the ritual of coffee is not disturbed by discussion of business terms, and so negotiations are not entered into until the coffee has been sipped and enjoyed in peace. Gahwa is made from roasted green coffee beans, crushed with brass pestle and mortar and put into a small brass coffee maker with hot water, broken cardamom pods, cardamom seeds, sugar and a pinch of ground cloves. The coffee is then boiled for 2-3 minutes, strained and served ‘black’ in delicate little cups (Sasya Sampada) |
Wikipedia Cardamom, Sasya Sampada |
Taxonomy from Encyclopedia of Life
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Taxonomy filled in form
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| Taxon | Value |
|---|---|
| Regnum (Kingdom) | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Order | Zingiberales |
| Family | Zingiberaceae |
| Genus | Elettaria |
| Source of data | ' |
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| Division | Taxon details | Taxon morphology details |
|---|---|---|
| Magnoliophyta | Also called Angiospermae. The ancestors of flowering plants diverged from gymnosperms around 245–202 million years ago, and the first flowering plants known to exist are from 140 million years ago. They diversified enormously during the Lower Cretaceous and became widespread around 100 million years ago, but replaced conifers as the dominant trees only around 60-100 million years ago. | These are seed plants like Gymnosperms, but can be differentiated by the presence of flowers, seeds containing endosperm and seeds that produce a fruit. Angiosperms are the most diverse and highly evolutionarily successful group of land plants. |
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| Class | Taxon details | Taxon morphology details |
|---|---|---|
| Liliopsida | Liliopsida is considered the scientific name for monocots, but monocots may be called differently based on different taxonomic classification systems. Based on chloroplast DNA sequences, the divergence date between monocots and dicots is estimated to be ~200 million years, with a 40 million years uncertainty. There are ~50000-60000 species of monocots, with the largest family being Orchidaceae (orchids) consisting of ~20000 species. The true grasses (Poaceae) are the most economically important family, with 70% of the crops being cultivated belonging to this family. | The following features distinguish monocots from dicots - 1) Three flower parts in each flower (vs 4-5 in dicots) 2) One pore in pollen (vs 3) 3) One cotyledon (vs 2) 4) Vascular bundles in stem scattered (vs concentric circles) 5) Adventitious roots (vs radicle-origin) 6) Parallel venation (vs reticulate) These broad distinguishing features indeed have some exceptions |
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| Family | Taxon details | Taxon morphology details |
|---|---|---|
| Zingiberaceae | Zingiberaceae split off from the genus Costaceae ~79 or ~100 million years ago, based on two estimates (Kress06,Janssen04). The family consists of over 93 genera and over 2000 different species, with the center of diversity in South-East Asia. | Small to large herbaceous plants, distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. Plants are either self-supporting or epiphytic. Flowers are hermaphroditic, usually strongly zygomorphic (bilateral symmetry), in determinate cymose inflorescences, with conspicuous, spirally arranged bracts. The perianth is composed of two whorls, a fused tubular calyx, and a tubular corolla with one lobe larger than the other two. Flowers typically have two of their stamenoids (sterile stamens) fused to form a petaloid lip, and have only one fertile stamen. The ovary is inferior and topped by two nectaries, the stigma is funnel-shaped. |
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Based on classification
| Family | Taxon details | Taxon morphology details |
|---|---|---|
| Zingiberaceae | Zingiberaceae split off from the genus Costaceae ~79 or ~100 million years ago, based on two estimates (Kress06,Janssen04). The family consists of over 93 genera and over 2000 different species, with the center of diversity in South-East Asia. | Small to large herbaceous plants, distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. Plants are either self-supporting or epiphytic. Flowers are hermaphroditic, usually strongly zygomorphic (bilateral symmetry), in determinate cymose inflorescences, with conspicuous, spirally arranged bracts. The perianth is composed of two whorls, a fused tubular calyx, and a tubular corolla with one lobe larger than the other two. Flowers typically have two of their stamenoids (sterile stamens) fused to form a petaloid lip, and have only one fertile stamen. The ovary is inferior and topped by two nectaries, the stigma is funnel-shaped. |
More details can be found in the Binomial Classification section.
Morphology from Encyclopedia of Life
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General morphology
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| General morphological features of the plant | A herbaceous perennial plant having subterranean rhizomatous stem with tall (around 5m) tall pseudostem formed by leaf sheaths. The plant has a characteristic fibrous root system of monocots and is very shallow in nature. Leaves are petiolate, distichous, linear, lanceolate, acuminate, sessile or very shortly petioled; glabrous above, softly pubescent beneath, 1-2 feet long and 2-3 inches wide.
Inflorescence is a long panicle, upto about 2 ft. long, erect or prostrate arising directly from the base of the pseudostem. Each panicle bears lateral racemes on which flowers bloom sequentially from base to tip. The number of panicles varies from 2-4 per tiller. Flowers are large, bisexual, attractive, self fertile, zygomorphic, 4-5 cm long and 2 cm across. Individual flowers are consists of tubular calyx and three pale green petals. Bracts 6-7, linear oblong, obtuse about 1.5 inches long; calyx 0.5 in. long, corolla tube white, shortly exserted, lobes 0.5 in. long; lip longer, white stripped with violet; capsule subtrigonous, about 0.4 in. long, striate. The androecium consists of a single fertile stamen, of the five others, one is completely absent, two modified into a labellum and the remaining two form staminodes. The filiform style protrudes through the groove between the anther lobes. Stigma is funnel shaped, ciliated and the surface is sticky. Fruits are small, trilocular many seeded capsules. The capsules are fusiform to ovoid in shape and pale green to deep green in colour. Mature seeds are hard, brownish black covered with thin mucilaginous aril inside the fruit wall"A herbaceous perennial plant having subterranean rhizomatous stem with tall (around 5m) tall pseudostem formed by leaf sheaths. The plant has a characteristic fibrous root system of monocots and is very shallow in nature. Leaves are petiolate, distichous, linear, lanceolate, acuminate, sessile or very shortly petioled; glabrous above, softly pubescent beneath, 1-2 feet long and 2-3 inches wide. Inflorescence is a long panicle, upto about 2 ft. long, erect or prostrate arising directly from the base of the pseudostem. Each panicle bears lateral racemes on which flowers bloom sequentially from base to tip. The number of panicles varies from 2-4 per tiller. Flowers are large, bisexual, attractive, self fertile, zygomorphic, 4-5 cm long and 2 cm across. Individual flowers are consists of tubular calyx and three pale green petals. Bracts 6-7, linear oblong, obtuse about 1.5 inches long; calyx 0.5 in. long, corolla tube white, shortly exserted, lobes 0.5 in. long; lip longer, white stripped with violet; capsule subtrigonous, about 0.4 in. long, striate. The androecium consists of a single fertile stamen, of the five others, one is completely absent, two modified into a labellum and the remaining two form staminodes. The filiform style protrudes through the groove between the anther lobes. Stigma is funnel shaped, ciliated and the surface is sticky. Fruits are small, trilocular many seeded capsules. The capsules are fusiform to ovoid in shape and pale green to deep green in colour. Mature seeds are hard, brownish black covered with thin mucilaginous aril inside the fruit wall" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. |
Sasya Sampada |
| Seed dispersal mechanism | Entomophily (By insects) | |
|---|---|---|
| Bloom type | Perennial | Flowers of India, Wikipedia |
| Life cycle of the plant | The flowering period is during March-September with peak period during June-August. The mean number of days required from initiation of flower to opening of last flower in the panicle is 210. The mean number of days to reach full bloom from bud initiation is 34.5. Time taken for full maturity of a capsule from flower opening is 114 days. The flowers remain open for a period of 13-14 hours. Flower opening starts at 4.15 am and extends up to 9.00 am during winter. Maximum flower opening is during 5 to 6 am. Dehiscence of anthers occurred within half an hour of flower opening. The highest percentage of pollen germination occurred between 6 to 10 am. Stigmatic receptivity is maximum during 8 to 11 am. The flowers are often cross-pollinated but self-pollination is not uncommon. Young panicles require 6- months to complete the flowering and flowering to harvest stage of capsule is extended about 120-130 days depending on the climatic conditions.
Cardamom flower is bisexual and is adapted to entomophilous type of pollination. They very structure of the flower, attractive nature of the petals, and the production of nectar in the epigynous glands are adaptations for accomplishing cross-pollination. The chief pollinator of cardamom is honey bee. Two species namely Apis cerana indica and A. dorsata contribute to over 90% of pollination. Peak foraging is recorded between 9 am and 11 am depending upon environmental conditions. Three to five visits per flower is optimum for pollination. The flora in cardamom plantation comprises of 37 species, out of which 19 are trees. Shade trees such as Vernonia arborea, Ficus retusa and Cassia fistula are the major sources for nectar. A limited pollination occurred through ants and rainwater. |
Sasya Sampada |
How to identify this species
For a detailed description, refer to the General Morphology details above
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Type of plant | Herb | |
| Plant height | More than 10 feet | Sasya Sampada |
| Flower color | ||
| Flower shape | ||
| Floral symmetry | ||
| Phyllotaxy of leaves | ||
| Leaf shape | Lanceolate | Sasya Sampada |
| Is the leaf petiolated or sessile? | Petiolated | Sasya Sampada |
| Is the leaf simple or compound? |
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| IUCN Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | EoL |
| Indian States in which the species has been documented | Karnataka,Kerala,Pondicherry,Tamil Nadu | Sasya Sampada |
| Locations at which the species has been documented | ||
| Biotic zones inhabited | Western Ghats | |
| Details about the habitat | Cardamom is a shade loving plant (40-60%) cultivated in an altitude of 600 to 1200 m above MSL with an annual rainfall of 1500 to 4000 mm and a temperature range of 10 to 35°C. It is susceptible to wind and hence, gentle sloppy lands facing eastern or northern directions are considered ideal for its cultivation. It is generally grown in the evergreen forests where the surface soil is enriched by the deposition of organic matter due to organic recycling. The cardamom soils are found to be clay loam, distinctly acidic (5.0 to 6.6 pH), rich in organic matter (5.92%) and low in available phosphorous (14.71 kg/ha) and potassium (156.2 kg/ha) depicting the characteristics of the humid tropic soils (Kulkarni et al., 1971). It grows on a variety of soils from white quartz gravel, with only a shallow zone of humus accumulation, to chocolate coloured forest loams extending to considerable depths below the humus layer and red loamy soils. The soil depth is fairly deep with good drainage. Most of the cardamom growing soils are situated in heavy rainfall areas and therefore suffers from leaching of nutrients (Zachariah 1975) | Sasya Sampada |
| Is this species native to India? | Yes | Wikipedia |
| Is the species indigenous/endemic to Sub-Himalayan regions? | ||
| Is the species indigenous/endemic to Western Ghats? | Yes | Sasya Sampada |
| Is the species indigenous/endemic to Eastern Ghats? |
More plants native to India
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{{#generateMap:Karnataka,Kerala,Pondicherry,Tamil Nadu|Elettariacardamomum_brahma.svg|align=center}}
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Does this species have any medicinal use? | Yes |
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Other plants of the same family having medicinal use:
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| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| General types of ailments this species is used for treating | ||
| Specific ailments for which the species is used | ||
| Medicinal systems which use this plant | Ayurveda | Sasya Sampada |
| Details of Medicinal use | Cardamom is used as an adjuvant to carminative drugs. It is officially recognised in British and US pharmacopoeias and used as an aromatic stimulant, carminative and flavouring agent. It can be used to ease cigarette addiction. Eating a few seeds of cardamom can safely be recommended to initially minimise the number if cigarettes being smoked, and slowly the smoker may give up the chronic addiction to chain smoking | Sasya Sampada |
| Parts of the plant used for treatment | Fruit, Seeds | Sasya Sampada |
| Names of some medicinal active compounds in this plant, if known. | ||
| Details of the active chemical compounds found in this plant | Most of the active compounds come from the volatile Cardamom oil, which varies from 6 to 10% of the mature seed weight. | Sasya Sampada |
| Is the molecular basis of the medicinal action known? | ||
| Details of molecular basis of action | ||
| Are the toxic effects of consumption of this plant known? | ||
| Details of the toxic effects of the plant species | ||
| Have there been validation/clinical studies related to this plant? | ||
| Details of the clinical studies related to the plant species |
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Is this plant/plant-derived product used in food preparations? | Yes | User-reported |
| Part(s) of the plant used in the food preparations | Fruit, Seeds | |
| Details of use in food preparations | Cardamom is used in several Indian food preparations. In industry, it is used to flavor pickles, canned soup, baked goods, condiments, sauces and meat. A very popular use of Cardamom in India, especially southern part of India, is as a spice in tea and coffee. | |
| Does this species have any religious significance? | ||
| Religions which mention/give significance to this species | Sasya Sampada | |
| Religious occasions | ||
| Details of religious use |
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Is this plant cultivated commercially in India? | Yes | |
| Uses for which the plant is commercially cultivated | Human consumption, Medicinal use, Cosmetic use | Sasya Sampada |
| Plant parts of commercial value | Flower, Fruit | Sasya Sampada |
| Products where this plant is used | User-reported | |
| Description of use | Mostly used for food preparations. Some other uses also exist, such as adjuvant for some drugs and in perfumes. | Sasya Sampada |
| States where this plant is cultivated commercially | Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu | Sasya Sampada |
| Best period for planting this plant | ||
| Best period for harvesting this plant | Winter, Post-monsoon | |
| Method of propagation | Seeds, Vegetative propagation, Micropropagation | Sasya Sampada |
| Water requirement of this plant | High | Based on Sasya Sampada |
| Pests and Diseases affecting this plant during cultivation | ||
| Other considerations while cultivating this plant | Cardamom is a shade loving plant (40-60%) cultivated in an altitude of 600 to 1200 m above MSL with an annual rainfall of 1500 to 4000 mm and a temperature range of 10 to 35°C. It is susceptible to wind and hence, gentle sloppy lands facing eastern or northern directions are considered ideal for its cultivation. It is generally grown in the evergreen forests where the surface soil is enriched by the deposition of organic matter due to organic recycling. The cardamom soils are found to be clay loam, distinctly acidic (5.0 to 6.6 pH), rich in organic matter (5.92%) and low in available phosphorous (14.71 kg/ha) and potassium (156.2 kg/ha) depicting the characteristics of the humid tropic soils (Kulkarni et al., 1971). It grows on a variety of soils from white quartz gravel, with only a shallow zone of humus accumulation, to chocolate coloured forest loams extending to considerable depths below the humus layer and red loamy soils. The soil depth is fairly deep with good drainage. Most of the cardamom growing soils are situated in heavy rainfall areas and therefore suffers from leaching of nutrients (Zachariah 1975) | Sasya Sampada |
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- If there is an error message below, it means that there is no retrievable information available on NCBI
- If the number of nucleotide sequences is less than 100, very little genomic work has been done on this species. A respectable number of nucleotide sequences is above 10000.
- Most of the nucleotide sequences may come from three sources:
- Studies on single genes, where people try to sequence genes such as some specific dehydrogenases important,say, for tannin production
- Sequences of Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer, whose sequence is used for generating molecular phylogenetic trees to establish species relationships
- Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) which can tell about which genes are present and expressed in the species at a particular time in the given tissue
{{#queryDB:taxonomy |Elettaria cardamomum }}
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Details of modern scientific knowledge available for this species | ||
| Are herbarium specimen available for this species? | ||
| Institutes having herbarium samples |
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References
Wikipedia Cardamom (Web): Wikipedia Cardamom entry, Accessdate=2010-08-15
Flowers of India (Web): Flowers of India entry on Cardamom, Accessdate=2010-08-15
EoL (Web): Encyclopedia of Life entry, Accessdate=2010-08-15
Sasya Sampada (Web): Sasya Sampada entry on Cardamom, Accessdate=2010-08-20
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