Myristica fragrans Seeds | Nutmeg
LATIN NAME: Myristica fragrans
COMMON NAME: Nutmeg
Plant Profile
Myristica fragrans, better known as Nutmeg, is a tree. Nutmeg is warm, fragrant spice tree of spice islands, and dried seed and lacy covering around it have been two of great spices of world for centuries. Handsome, evergreen tree carries glossy, oval leaves and small, pale-yellow flowers, and apricot-like fruit follows, opening at maturity to reveal shiny, brown seed wrapped in red, lacy aril. Seed is dried to give nutmeg, and aril is dried to give the mace. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Nutmeg is the rare spice that is also a controlled-intensity pharmacological agent. Its seed oil contains myristicin and elemicin — phenylpropanoids structurally adjacent to amphetamine precursors — and safrole, which is carcinogenic in rodents at high doses; in practice, culinary pinches are harmless, while doses of 5 g or more of ground nutmeg produce a long, unpleasant deliriant intoxication with tachycardia, documented in many case reports. Mace, the aril, carries the same chemistry in milder form. The tree also gave history one of its bloodiest trade wars: the Dutch traded Manhattan away partly to secure its monopoly.
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Myristica fragrans, a representative of the Myristica group with clear practical value. Nutmeg has a rich and well-documented story in plant science and history of spice trade. Species like this one find a second career as research material, especially in propagation and breeding work.
Uses & Benefits
Nutmeg works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Nutmeg is one of great spices of world, and dried seed is grated over puddings, pies, sauces and warm drinks, while mace from red aril is used in finer cookery. Spice was once so valuable that it helped to drive old trade routes of warm oceans, and tree is still grown as a serious cash crop in spice islands. In the right, warm, humid lowlands it is also a fine, handsome evergreen tree. Beyond the establishment year, its needs are simple and few.
Nutmeg and mace are warming spices and traditional digestives for cold stomachs; in culinary amounts they are safe and wonderful, but large doses of nutmeg are deliriant and dangerous, a fact worth knowing.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Nutmeg under ordinary good conditions. Sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly into a loose, well-drained seed compost, water in gently, and keep the sowing in bright light with steady moisture. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Nutmeg settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Established seedlings need little beyond ordinary attention.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Nutmeg often pair it with these related subjects: