Skip to main content

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

Dlium Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

Pala or nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is a plant species in Myristicaceae, an evergreen tree originating from the Banda Islands in Maluku, has a high value as a spice, fruit and seeds and has been an important trading commodity since Roman times.

M. fragrans has a height of 5-20 m or even 30 m in Tidore. The leaves have a 1 cm stalk, arranged alternately, in the shape of a slender ellipse, 5-15 cm long, 2-7 cm wide, a sharp tip, a bone in the middle with many sideways veins, the upper surface is shiny dark green and the lower surface is pale green.





Male and female flowers grow on different trees, although sometimes individuals produce both types of flowers. Bell-shaped flowers, pale yellow and fleshy. Staminates are arranged in groups of up to ten, each 5-7 mm long. The carpels are in smaller groups, one to three and slightly longer up to 10 mm.

Karpelat produces fruit that is ovoid, yellow, smooth, 6-9 cm long and 3.5-5 cm in diameter. The fruit has a fleshy skin and has a distinctive aroma due to the essential oil content. When ripe the rind will split into two parts along the ridge that runs along the fruit.

The fruit that has opened will reveal the seeds. A seed is brownish purple and shiny, 2-3 cm long by about 2 cm wide and has a red covering. Seeds are a great source of nutmeg. Seeds contain 7-14% essential oil.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Myristicaceae
Genus: Myristica
Species: Myristica fragrans Houtt. in Nat. Hist. 2(3): 333 (1774)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Palala fragrans (Houtt.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 567 (1891)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Aruana silvestris Burm.f. in Ind. Alt.: G, verso (1769)
Myristica amboinensis Gand. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 66: 225 (1919)
Myristica aromatica Sw. in Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ.: 96 (1788)
Myristica laurella Gand. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 66: 225 (1919)
Myristica moschata Thunb. in Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 1782: 49 (1782)
Myristica officinalis L.f. in Suppl. Pl.: 265 (1782)
Myristica philippinensis Gand. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 66: 225 (1919)

PUBLICATIONS

Karthigeyan, K., Pandey, R.P. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2023). Flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2: 1-689. Botanical Survey of India. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Santisuk, T. & Larsen, K. (eds.) (2002). Flora of Thailand 7(4): 655-920. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2008). Flora of China 7: 1-499. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).

de Wilde, W.J.J.O. (2000). Flora Malesiana 14: 1-634. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.

VERNACULAR NAME

English: Nutmeg, Pala, Nutmeg tree
Halmahera: Gosora
Indonesian: Pala, Phala
Makassar: Palangana
Nias: Falo
Nusa Laut: Palalao
Timor: Palo
Tindore: Masiho

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
Web: https://www.dlium.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DliumWeb: https://www.dlium.com
Labels:

Popular Posts

Kemadih (Fagraea ceilanica)

Kemadih ( Fagraea ceilanica ) is a species of plant in the Gentianaceae family. It grows as a climber and covers host trees. It is a perennial, multi-branched, hardwood plant with hard, brown bark and dark green young bark. F. ceilanica has thick leaves, 15 cm long and 8 cm wide. A central vein is linear, with a pointed tip and base. The upper surface is dark green and the lower surface is bright green. The petiole is 3 cm long. The flowers are fan-shaped with 5 inflorescences. The base is narrow, whitish-yellow or bright green, and 8 cm wide. Four inflorescences with brownish-white tips and one inflorescence with a green tip grow in the center. The fruit is green, 3.5 cm long, and the stalk is 2 cm long. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Gentianaceae Tribe: Potalieae Subtribe: Potaliinae Genus: Fagraea Thunb. in Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 3: 125 (1782) Species: Fagraea ceilanica Thunb. in Kong...
Read more

Plumeria rubra and Plumeria obtusa, the differences

SPECIES HEAD TO HEAD - The genus frangipani trees ( Plumeria Tourn. ex L.) has only 18 officially recorded species and two very similar species, frangipani ( Plumeria rubra L.) and white frangipani ( Plumeria obtusa L.). Both have the same habitus, flowers and fruits and are difficult to distinguish. The leaves of both species have slightly different shapes. Therefore, the leaves are very important to distinguish the two species, especially the shape of the tip. P. rubra has simple, lanceolate leaves with acute tips. P. obtusa has simple, elliptic leaves with rounded tips. By Aryo Bandoro Founder of Dlium.com . You can follow him on X: @Abandoro . Read more: Plumeria rubra Plumeria obtusa
Read more

Giant shield bug (Pycanum alternatum)

Giant shield bug or pycanum rubens ( Pycanum alternatum ) is a species of animal in Tessaratomidae, has a large shield covering the back, shiny green-blue-brown colored and appears to have a powder or wax layer, inhabiting the leaves of plants in open forests or bushes . P. alternatum is also called a stink bug because of its ability to release pungent aromas when disturbed. These insects live solitary with a partner and usually the mother gather in a family together in nymphs. White eggs are attached under the leaves of the plant. Nymphs can be found in the same host as their parent. The nymph has a flat rectangular shape with a large vein in the middle like a flat leaf. Nymphs having striking colors are light green, orange and red. Color may represent various stages of development or gender. The initial stage has a small size and red color. It grows in a bigger size and turns orange then ends in green. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hemipter...
Read more