Description
Cloves are the rich, brown, dried, unopened flower buds that belong to an evergreen tree, Syzygium Aromaticum in the Myrtle family. They are native to the Molucca Islands, now a part of Indonesia. It is also grown in Zanzibar, Madagascar, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India. Cloves are available throughout the year owing to different harvest seasons in different countries.
Clove trees need a lot of care and is an evergreen that grows up to 8–12 metres tall, with large leaves and crimson flowers grouped in terminal clusters. It starts flowering in about 7 years. The tree prefers well drained rich soil with sufficient soil moisture throughout the year. High atmospheric temperature of 25 to 35° C, with heavy sun light, good and well-distributed rainfall above 150 cm and high humidity above 70% are preferred. When the buds begin to change colour from green and acquires a pinkish tinge, it signals the picking stage. This is yet another spice that is picked by hand.
