Introduction
Introduction from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elettaria, retrieved 02/27/2012).
Elettaria is a genus of one or two species of cardamoms, native to southeastern Asia from India south to Sri Lanka and east to Malaysia and western Indonesia, where it grows in tropical rainforests.
It is a pungent aromatic herbaceous perennial plant growing to 2–4 m in height. The leaves are alternate in two ranks, linear-lanceolate, 40–60 cm long, with a long pointed tip. The flowers are white to lilac or pale violet, produced in a loose spike 30–60 cm long. The fruit is a three-sided yellow-green pod 1–2 cm long, containing several black seeds.
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Macroscopic Entries
| Cardamom (fruit) (Elettaria cardamomum)Fruit a capsule, light to medium green, elliptical, triangular, striated. Seeds oblong-ovoid, irregularly angular, rugose, brown to dark brown adhering to a colorless membranous aril.
Scent Aromatic when crushed.
Flavor Aromatic, pungent.
Source: Steven Yeager, Mountain Rose Herbs [1]
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Microscopic Entries
| Cardamom (fruit) (Elettaria cardamomum) W. et. M., Scitaminaceae.Epidermal cells of pericarp of polygonal cells; parenchyma cells of pericarp thin walled containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate; endosperm cells containing oil, minute starch granules and proteid granules.
Ceylon cardamom is distinguished from the Malabar cardamom by the presence in the former of thick walled, conical, simple trichromes.
Source: Schneider, A. (1921) The Microanalysis of Powdered Vegetable Drugs, 2nd ed. [2]
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| Cardamom seed coat, 200x in glycerin:dionized waterEpidermal cells of pericarp, thin-walled; prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate.
Source: Amy Brush, Traditional Medicinals [3]
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HPTLC Entries
Other Points of Interest
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