Elettaria cardamomum Seeds | Cardamom

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) plants with arching lance-shaped leaves and pale green three-sided pods at the base — Cardamom (*Elettaria cardamomum*): the pods form at ground level on separate flowering stems, not on the leafy canes.

LATIN NAME: Elettaria cardamomum

COMMON NAME: Cardamom

Plant Profile

Cardamom is a rhizomatous perennial of the ginger family, native to the wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats in southern India. It grows as a clump of leafy canes 2-4 m tall, each one carrying lance-shaped leaves in two ranks, and it flowers on separate, prostrate stems that creep along the ground rather than rising with the foliage.

The pods that follow are pale green, three-sided and roughly 1-2 cm long, each holding a row of small black seeds. Those seeds, not the pod, carry the aroma, which is why green cardamom is picked slightly unripe and dried carefully to keep the colour. After saffron and vanilla it is the most expensive spice by weight, and the price reflects the hand labour of picking.

Science & Biotechnology

The flavour of cardamom is dominated by 1,8-cineole, which makes up 30-45 per cent of the essential oil, with alpha-terpinyl acetate contributing the sweet, floral note that distinguishes green cardamom from the darker, smokier black cardamom of a different genus. The ratio between the two compounds varies with origin and processing, and it is the basis on which the spice trade grades material.

Pharmacologically, cineole is a well-characterized expectorant and is the active principle in eucalyptus oil preparations; cardamom’s traditional use as a digestive is supported by small trials and by its long inclusion in European herbal monographs for dyspepsia. The plant also produces cardamonin, a chalcone with anti-inflammatory activity that has attracted laboratory interest. None of this makes cardamom a medicine, but it explains why a spice that costs this much has stayed in the pharmacopoeia rather than the kitchen alone.

Uses & Benefits

In cooking, green cardamom is used whole in rice and curries, ground in baking and coffee, and as the defining note in masala chai. It is one of the few spices that works equally in sweet and savoury food, which is why it appears in Scandinavian pastries and in Indian biryani with equal conviction. The pods keep their aroma far better than the ground seed, so buy whole and grind small quantities.

Guatemala is now the largest producer, having taken the crop from India in the twentieth century, and the plant is a significant export for both countries. In the garden or greenhouse it is grown as a foliage plant, and its architectural leaves make it a good backdrop for lower tropical planting.

Growing from Seed

Cardamom seed must be fresh; stored seed germinates poorly and unevenly. Sow in a loose, humus-rich mix at 20-25°C, barely covered, and keep the medium moist and humid. Germination takes three to six weeks and continues over a long period, so do not discard the tray early.

Grow the seedlings in bright, filtered light, since the plant is an understorey species and direct sun scorches the leaves. Keep humidity high, water with soft water and feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed. Plants take three years or more to flower, and a pot-grown specimen rarely produces a crop, so treat the pods as a long-term possibility rather than a harvest.

Our Take

Cardamom is worth growing for its leaves alone: a single crushed leaf will scent a pot of tea, and the plant is handsome in a way that most spice crops are not. Just do not expect to harvest your spice bill from a windowsill.

Herb Seeds