''Amomum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> It includes several species of

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are rec ...

, especially black cardamom. Plants of this genus are remarkable for their pungency and aromatic properties. Among ancient writers, the name ''amomum'' was ascribed to various odoriferous plants that cannot be positively identified today. The word derives from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''amomum'', which is the latinisation of the Greek ἄμωμον (''amomon''), a kind of an Indian spice plant.ἄμωμον
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library Edmund Roberts noted on his 1834 trip to China that ''amomum'' was used as a spice to "season sweet dishes" in culinary practice.

Selected species

''See List of ''Amomum'' species for a complete list.'' The following have further information: *''

Amomum exertum ''Amomum exertum'' is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It was first described by Benedetto Scortechini Benedetto Scortechini (1845–1886) was an Italian botanist, explorer, and Roman Catholic priest. Biography He graduated from ...

'' *''

Amomum smithiae ''Amomum smithiae'' is a monocotyledonous plant species originally described by Yee Kiew KamY.K.Kam, 1982 ''In: Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 40: 148'' as '' Elettariopsis smithiae'' in the family Zingiberaceae. No subspecies are listed in the ...

'' *''

Amomum subulatum ''Amomum subulatum'', also known as Black cardamom, hill cardamom, Bengal cardamom, greater cardamom, Indian cardamom, Nepal cardamom, winged cardamom, big cardamon, or brown cardamom, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Zingiberaceae. ...

'' (black cardamom) - type species

Placed elsewhere

The following species are now placed in other genera: *'' Amomum compactum'' is '' Alpinia nutans'' *''

Amomum costatum ''Hornstedtia costata'' is a ginger-like plant (member of the family Zingiberaceae) native to Bangladesh, Assam, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh. Previously this species has been placed in the genera ''Alpinia'' and ''Amomum ''Amomum'' is a genus o ...

'' is ''

Hornstedtia costata ''Hornstedtia costata'' is a ginger-like plant (member of the family Zingiberaceae) native to Bangladesh, Assam, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh. Previously this species has been placed in the genera ''Alpinia'' and ''Amomum ''Amomum'' is a genus o ...

'' (Roxb.) K.Schum. *''

Amomum dallachyi ''Amomum dallachyi'', commonly known as green ginger, is a plant in the ginger family that is native to Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australi ...

'' is a synonym of ''

Meistera ''Meistera'' is an Asian genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae. Species have been recorded from Tropical & Subtropical Asia to northern Queensland. Species ''Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online d ...

dallachyi'' (F.Muell.) Skornick. & M.F.Newman *''

Amomum epiphyticum ''Epiamomum epiphyticum''Hugo de Boer, Mark Newman, Axel Dalberg Poulsen, A. Jane Droop, Tomáš Fér, Lê Thị Thu Hiền, Kristýna Hlavatá, Vichith Lamxay, James E. Richardson, Karin Steffen & Jana Leong-Škorničková, 2018Convergent morpho ...

'' R.M.Sm. is a synonym of ''

Epiamomum ''Epiamomum'' is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae and tribe Alpinieae; all records to date are from Borneo island. Before 2018, some species were placed in the genus ''Amomum''.Hugo de Boer, Mark Newman, Axel Dalberg Poulsen, A. Jane ...

epiphyticum'' (R.M.Sm.) A.D.Poulsen & Skornick. *''

Amomum filiforme ''Hedychium coronarium'', the white garland-lily or white ginger lily, is a perennial flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, native to the forest understorey of Asia. Other common names include butterfly lily, fragrant garland flow ...

'' is '' Hedychium coronarium'' *''

Amomum pulchellum ''Cyphostigma'' is a genus of plants. It contains only one accepted species, ''Cyphostigma pulchellum'', endemic to Sri Lanka.Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. Continental Publishing, Deurne. References

'' is ''

Cyphostigma ''Cyphostigma'' is a genus of plants. It contains only one accepted species, ''Cyphostigma pulchellum'', endemic to Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை ...

'' (monotypic) *''

Amomum tsao-ko ''Lanxangia tsaoko'', formerly ''Amomum tsao-ko'', is a ginger-like plant known in English by the transliterated Chinese name (). It grows at high altitudes in Yunnan, as well as the northern highlands of Vietnam. Both wild and cultivated plant ...

'' is '' Lanxangia tsaoko'' * ''

Elettaria cardamomum ''Elettaria cardamomum'', commonly known as green or true cardamom, is a herbaceous, perennial plant in the ginger family, native to southern India. It is the most common of the species whose seeds are used as a spice called cardamom. It is cu ...

'' (L.) Maton is: '' Amomum ensal'', '' Amomum repens'', '' Amomum repens'' & '' Amomum uncinatum'' *'' Amomum mioga'' is '' Zingiber mioga'' *'' Amomum melegueta'' is ''

Aframomum melegueta ''Aframomum melegueta'' is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and closely related to cardamom. Its seeds are used as a spice (ground or whole); it imparts a pungent, black-pepper-like flavor with hints of citrus. It is commonly ...

'' *'' Amomum zambesiacum'' is ''

Aframomum zambesiacum ''Aframomum zambesiacum'' is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Its common name is nangawo. It is native to Kimalila, part of the southern highlands in Tanzania. ''A. zambesiacum'' grows in upland and secondary forests, often near ...

'' Now be placed in the reconstituted genus ''

Wurfbainia ''Wurfbainia''Giseke PD (1792) ''Prael. Ord. Nat. Pl.'' 199, 206. is an Asian genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae. Species have been recorded from the Himalayas, S. China, Indo-China and W. & Central Malesia. It has previously been plac ...

'': *'' Amomum elegans'' * '' Wurfbainia uliginosa'' is: '' Amomum uliginosum'', '' Amomum robustum'' & '' Amomum ovoideum'' *''

Amomum villosum ''Wurfbainia villosa'', also known by its basionym ''Amomum villosum'', (Chinese: (Chinese: 砂仁; pinyin: shārén) is a plant in the ginger family that is grown throughout Southeast Asia and in South China. Similar to cardamom, the plant is c ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q133225 Zingiberaceae genera

Selected species

Placed elsewhere

See also

References

External links