Herb. No. 113 · Myrtaceae
Moluccan myrtle. A tropical farm tree; the kitchen crop is the dried bud.
Native · Southeast Asia
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Clove
Syzygium aromaticum
The nail-shaped flower bud that built a monopoly — a kitchen spice and a traditional toothache clove.
Clove is the unopened flower bud of a tropical myrtle from the Moluccas. A whole clove in a ham or a chai is food. A drop of clove oil on a tooth is an old dentist’s trick and a mucous-membrane irritant if you overdo it. The essential oil is not a tea. A pot tree north of the tropics is a greenhouse fantasy.
Flavor
Hot, sweet, eugenol-numb. One bud perfumes a pot; five is a dentist’s office.
Parts used
Dried flower bud
Helpful
- A tiny bud is a lot of flavor
- Keeps for years
Cautions
- Oil burns mucosa
- Not a temperate crop