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Myristica fragrans
Also called Mace, Nutmeg Tree
In Singapore: Nutmeg, Pokok Pala, Buah Pala, Pala, 玉果, 肉果 (Grown in Singapore)
1 NParks heritage tree in Singapore: Found in Singapore Botanic Gardens - LXJ - Central Core
Nutmeg is an evergreen tree from the Maluku Islands, grown for its seed (nutmeg) and the seed's red aril (mace). It needs a warm, humid tropical climate and is a slow, large tree rather than a houseplant.
Myristica fragrans, commonly known as the nutmeg tree, is an evergreen species indigenous to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. This aromatic tree is economically significant as the primary source of two distinct spices: nutmeg, derived from its seed, and mace, obtained from the seed's aril.
Valued for centuries in global spice trade, M. fragrans is now widely cultivated throughout tropical regions, including parts of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia), South Asia (Kerala in India, Sri Lanka), East Asia (Guangdong and Yunnan in China, Taiwan), the Caribbean (notably Grenada), and South America.
Myristica fragrans can be used as an accent tree. Ground nutmeg and mace are used in cooking. Seeds from the plant are used to make essential oils while other parts such as arils, bark, flowers and leaves are used for fragrance in soaps and perfumes.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Myristica fragrans 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.
