''Aframomum angustifolium'', known as "wild cardamom" in English, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the ginger family

Zingiberaceae Zingiberaceae () or the ginger family is a family of flowering plants made up of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes distributed throughout tropical Af ...

that grows in

tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic realm of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with hot moist climates, which are caused by latitude and the tropi ...

and in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. In Madagascar, it is known as ''longoza'', due to its use as a source of energy during long hunting treks (''lona'' "long hours", and ''hoza'' "to experience diificulties"). The species name, ''angustifolium'', means "narrow-leaved" in Latin. It is

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

and like other plants of this family, its erect "stems" consist of layered tubular leaf bases. The fruit is a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

containing many seeds surrounded by sugary-sweet and sour edible pulp. The crushed seeds are also used as a peppery spice. The leaves are also used as disposable receptacles for eating rice.

References

Flora of East Tropical Africa Flora of Madagascar Fruits originating in Africa angustifolium {{Zingiberales-stub