Nutmeg

About 100 species, including:

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Myristica argentea

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Myristica fragrans

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Myristica malabarica

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The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace.

Related Topics:
Genus - Evergreen - Tree - Asia - Australasia - Spice - Fruit

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Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20-30 mm long and 15-18 mm wide, while mace is the dried "lacy" reddish covering or arillus of the seed.

Related Topics:
Seed - Arillus

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Several other commercial products are also produced from the trees, including essential oils, extracted oleoresins, and nutmeg butter (see below).

Related Topics:
Essential oil - Oleoresins

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The most important species commercially is the Common or Fragrant Nutmeg Myristica fragrans, native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia; it is also grown in the Caribbean, especially in Grenada. Other species include Papuan Nutmeg M. argentea from New Guinea, and Bombay Nutmeg M. malabarica from India; both are used as adulterants of M. fragrans products.

Related Topics:
Banda Islands - Indonesia - Caribbean - Grenada - New Guinea - India

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