Elettaria cardamomum Seeds | Cardamom
LATIN NAME: Elettaria cardamomum
COMMON NAME: Cardamom
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) stands out as a perennial in the ginger family. Cardamom is queen of spice world, fine, green pod that scents tea and rice of the East. Dried capsules are one of great spices of world, prized for fine, warm, sweet scent. It is a fine, generous plant of warm, humid, sheltered garden. The ratio of effort to reward here is about as good as gardening gets.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Elettaria cardamomum ranges from the botany of the ginger family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Cardamom has carved a quiet but solid place in plant science, and herb has been studied for small, pale-green seed capsules and fine, dark, aromatic seeds within. For practical purposes the message is encouraging: generations of cultivation have produced plants of predictable, well-mannered garden character.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Cardamom for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Cardamom does a lot of work in kitchen and wider world. Dried, pale-green capsules are one of great spices of world, scenting teas, rice dishes, curries and sweets of the East, and fine, warm, sweet character of seeds has made it one of the most prized of the spices. Handsome, reed-like herb is also a fine, generous addition to warm, humid, sheltered garden, and glossy, dark-green leaves keep it handsome through the year. It establishes readily and then requires nothing out of the ordinary.
Cardamom is the queen of spices and a classical digestive: its cineole-rich seeds ease fullness and freshen breath, a use carried into modern herbal monographs, and the essential oil is a major flavor and fragrance material.
Growing from Seed
Cardamom is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Once established, Cardamom largely looks after itself. Give the seed freshness and steady moisture, and nature handles the rest.
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