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Elettaria cardamomum
Also called Green Cardamom, Cardamon, True Cardamom
Green cardamom is a perennial herb in the ginger family, grown mainly for its aromatic seed pods used as a spice. It grows best in partial shade, humid tropical conditions with rich, moist soil.
Elettaria cardamomum, commonly known as green cardamom or true cardamom, is a herbaceous, perennial plant in the ginger family, native to southern India. It is the most common of the species whose seeds are used as a spice called cardamom that has a strong aroma used in both savory and sweet cooking. It is cultivated widely in tropical regions and reportedly naturalized in Réunion, Indochina, and Costa Rica.
E. cardamomum is used as a food plant by the larvae of the moth Endoclita hosei.
The green seed pods of the plant are dried and the seeds inside the pod are used in Indian and other Asian cuisines, either whole or ground. It is the most widely cultivated species of cardamom; for other types and uses, see cardamom.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Elettaria cardamomum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
