An international team of researchers have identified six species of genus Elettaria (cardamomum) to (Elettaria cardamomum). Of the six, four were previously placed in a separate genus, Alpinia, while the remaining two have been newly identified and described from Kerala’s Western Ghats regions.
- The genus Elettaria now has seven species, including Elettaria cardamomum known as green cardamom. E. ensal, E. floribunda, E. involucrata and E. rufescens were earlier placed in the genus Alpinia.
- The remaining two are new species, Elettaria facifera and Elettaria tulipifera, the former described from Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve in Idukki district and the latter from the Agasthyamalai hills in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala.
About Cardamom
- Cardamom is a spice made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family. Cardamom or Elettaria Cardamomum Maton is called the “queen of spices”.
- It is also commonly referred to as the “green cardamom” or the “true cardamom”, and belongs to the family of ginger.
- Originally, cardamom grew wildly along the Western Ghats in South India. This region even to this day is known as Cardamom Hills.
- Later in 1914, a German coffee planter by the name of Oscar Majus Kliiffer decided to take it with him to Guatemala. Today this country tops the list of exporters, with India coming a close second. Price wise, cardamom ranks right at the top alongside other spices like vanilla and saffron.
(Source: The Hindu and India culture)
