Ke Nutmeg And Mace - Plant Morphology, Taxonomic Hierarchy, Different Names, Importance In Medicine And Food, Cultivation And Harvesting F

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Nutmeg And Mace - Plant Morphology, Taxonomic Hierarchy, Different Names, Importance In Medicine And Food, Cultivation And Harvesting




Nutmeg plant general information, taxonomy and importance 


Nutmeg plant which we call 'jathi maram or jathi' in Malayalam is a very common plant in our backyards. Nutmeg is not only used as a spice, but also as a medicine and a major source of income. 50 to 100 year old trees can be found in some Kerala houses. In today's post, my plan is to talk about this plant. Most of the information given here is from my parents, relatives and some are from my graduation text books.

     






    Nutmeg plant - taxonomic hierarchy


    Kingdom - Plantae
    Subkingdom - Viridiplantae
    Class - Magnoliopsida
    Super order - Magnolianae
    Order - Magnoliales
    Family- Myristicaceae
    Genus - Myristica Gronov
    Species - Myristica fragrans

    Nutmeg plant - about


    Nutmeg plant is native to Moluccas Island, Indonesia. It is wildly cultivated in the West indies, Banda Islands, Malayan, India, Sumatra and Moluccas. In India, this plant is grown in Kerala, TamilNadu, Assam, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. The true nutmeg or Myristica fragrans come under Myristicacea family. The nutmeg flower, younger leaves, fruits, seeds and arils are edible. But only the seeds (nutmeg) and arils (mace) are commercially important and exported world wide. 




    Nutmeg Plant - Cultivation And Harvesting


    Nutmeg plant is a self raising plant which  grows well on loose sandy loam soil. Both sexual propagation (seed) and vegetative propagation (grafting) are suitable for cultivation. Freshly selected good quality seeds are suitable for sowing. It takes almost two to three months for germination and is transplanted when the seedlings are about 17 - 20 months old. 


    Nutmeg plant is dioecious which means different plant bear male and female flowers. Male and female plants are grown in a proportion of 1:7 which means only one male plant is required to propagate seven female plants. There is no possible way to differentiate the male and female flowers until it reaches maturity. A nutmeg plant takes almost nine to ten years for flowering. If there are more male plants than necessary, farmers usually cut that tree and plant a new one.


    As I said, a nutmeg plant takes almost nine years to flower but once it starts flowering, we can harvest the fruit throughout the year, but we get the maximum harvest from May to June (rainy season in Kerala).  Also, the plant will give the fruits continuously up to 75 to 80 years. The fruit will open by itself when it matures. The seed will separate from its husk and fall on the ground. We can collect the seeds in the mornings, the arils will be separated carefully. Sometimes we also collect the matured fruits directly from the plant. The nutmeg seeds and arils will be then sun dried. In summer, this drying process will take about one week for seeds and two to three days for arils. Artificial heat is also used in the rainy season. 

    The nutmeg plant grows abundantly in regions with fertile soil and proper rainfall. Manures and fertilizers are necessary to get a good harvest. In summer season, proper irrigation is mandatory. 


    Nutmeg Plant - Morphology 



    Nutmeg plant is a woody tree with strong grayish brown and smooth bark. Longitudinal fissures are common in old trees. Its branches are spirally arranged in a whorl. The branches will be uniformly covered with dark green elliptical leaves, but in older trees you can see some naked branches also. The plant reaches a height of 20 feet to 25 feet.  The plant is usually unisexual. Female plants bear fruits. 

    Nutmeg leaves 


    Nutmeg leaves are simple, alternative and without stipules. Usually distichous with prominent veins. Distichous means leaves are arranged alternately on the opposite side of the axis in vertical rows.  Leaf shape is normally elliptical or oblong lanceolate and coriaceous. (lanceolate leaf means leaf which is tapered to a point at each end or a leaf like a lance head. Coriaceous means leathery). Young nutmeg leaves have a light yellowish green color. As the leaves mature, it attains a darker green shade.  The leaves are also scented, you can feel its spicy fragrance by rubbing the leaves between your fingers. 



    Nutmeg flower


    Nutmeg flowers are small, bell shaped, inconspicuous, dioecious and creamy yellow in color. It has a mild pungent taste and flavor. The female flowers have three to four tepal lobes with bilobed stigma. The female flowers (carpellate flowers) are arranged in a group of two to three. The male flowers or the staminate flowers will have a group of three to ten. 



    Nutmeg fruit

    The female nutmeg plant produces smooth yellow colored pear shaped fruit with a fleshy husk. The seeded drupe has about 6 to 9 cm long which is suspended with a greenish brown fruit stalk. When the fruit matures, the husk separates naturally. Inside the husk, you can see the dark brown colored seed with a bright red network like spongy aril attached to the base of the seeds. This nutmeg seed and aril is used as spices. Seed is available in the name nutmeg and the aril is called mace. 




    Nutmeg (seed of Myristica fragrans Houtt.) - Names in Other languages




    English - Nutmeg

    Malayalam - Jathikkuru

    Tamil - Jathikkai vitai

    Kannada - Jathikai beeja

    Telegu - Jaykaya vittanam

    Bengali - Jayaphelera beeja 

    Hindi - Jaayphal beej

    Mace (Arilsof Myristica fragrans Houtt.)- Names in different languages





    English - Mace

    Malayalam - Jathipatri

    Tamil - Jadi pattiri

    Kannada - Japatri

    Telugu - Japatri

    Bengali - Jotri

    Hindi - Javitri

    Nutmeg And Medicinal Importance


    Nutmeg has long been used as a home remedy for gastrointestinal problems such as indigestion, flatulence, colic and diarrhea. Both nutmeg and mace has been used as carminative. The nutmeg stimulates appetite and helps to control flatulence. It is a folklore medicine for treating mouth ulcers and insomnia. Nutmeg is a powerful antioxidant, antimicrobial, ant cancerous, antidepressant, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective properties.  Studies says that essential oil obtained from nutmeg cure paralysis, infectious skin diseases etc. 

    Warning: Low dose of nutmeg does not cause any side effects, but over dosage many cause side effects such as hallucinations.


    Nutmeg and Food


    Nutmeg and mace both are commercially important and used as a valuable spice to flavor many dishes worldwide. The nutmeg seed is sold as whole seeds or in powdered form. Nutmeg butter and nutmeg oil are some other products.

    In Kerala, we use all parts of this fruit. Especially fleshy husk was one of the dream of many kids in my school. My friends love to eat this fresh pulpy husk with salt and chilies. It is also used to make a variety of dishes like chutney, pickle, vines, etc. Still, I love to have fresh nutmeg flower picked directly from the tree. 



    Nutmeg seeds and mace is an important constituent of Kerala garam masala. Mace is usually used along with whole spices in biryani, pulao and non-veg dishes. 


    Note : All the points given in this post are only for informational purpose and not to be substituted for professional medical advice. The website does not guarantee any specific results as a result of the procedures mentioned here and the results may vary from person to person


    Stay safe, Stay healthy

    Anju          

         

     

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