PlantFiles: Clove
Syzygium aromaticum

I recently aquired a small clove tree which I will attempt to nurse through winter in warm position in a pot. Clove is native to a small group of islands in Northern Indonesia called the Moluccas, Ternate, Tidor and Bacan being the three main islands where this spice was propogated. Today Zanzibar and Madagascar are the major producers of cloves for the world market.

Syzygium aromaticum is a very tropical tree and does not tollerate cold (

Clove comes from India, and was one of the most overlooked spices before the advent of the refrigerator. The dried up floral buds were used to conservate meat and perishable food, and even today is used to give a particular taste to sweets, desserts and many other recipes.

This is a short to medium sized tree, reaching around 15m tall, but producing flowers even when still short. The leaves are green and shiny, and have a strong aroma too. The flowers are small and white. The floral buds must be collected and dried before blooming. I don´t have information about fruits nor seeds.

It needs high temperatures, full sun (tolerates some shade), and moist rich soil.