cardamom

Seeds: 20  / Botanical name: Elettaria cardamomum

The scent of gingerbread and mulled wine

Cardamom is primarily known as a spice in Christmas baking, although it is also an easy-care and attractive houseplant with fragrant leaves that release an aromatic, cinnamon-like cardamom scent with a hint of lime when touched. Its tall stems are composed of interlocking leaves, with the long flower stalk emerging laterally from the lower stem. At the ends of its shoots, it produces long flower spikes and then the fruit pods containing the actual spice: the reddish-brown seeds. In a pot, cardamom can reach a height of up to one meter.

Natural habitat: Elettaria cardamomum is native only to Sri Lanka, while related species are widespread in southwestern India.