Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Netherlands

Common name: Muskaatboom, Nutmeg, Nutmeg, Mace, 肉豆蔻 Roudoukou

Family: Myristicaceae (Nutmeg)

Distribution: Indonesia

Hardiness: Zone 10

Life form: Tree

Comments: Nutmeg is native to the humid tropics of Indonesia, but is nowadays also grown in Grenada and Sri Lanka. This species is dioecious, so only the female trees bear the precious fruits: the seeds are the oil-rich nutmegs, while mace is the bright-coloured layer around the seed, the aril. In the tropics the tree can grow up to 10 metres high, with leaves of up to 12 cm long, which have silvery scales when they are young. The pale yellow flowers grow no larger than 1 cm. Nutmeg and mace are used in a variety of dishes, and the oil is used in toothpaste, cigarettes and soap – too much of it is dangerous because of the toxin myristicin. Both the genus name Myristica and the species name fragrans refer to the fragrance of the plant and its fruits.