Monday, October 21, 2013

Cloves

Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family MyrtaceaeSyzygium aromaticum. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world. Cloves are harvested primarily in IndonesiaIndiaMadagascar,ZanzibarPakistan, and Sri Lanka. They have a numbing effect on mouth tissues.
The clove tree is an evergreen that grows to a height ranging from 8–12 m, having large leaves and sanguine flowers in numerous groups of terminal clusters. The flower buds are at first of a pale color and gradually become green, after which they develop into a bright red, when they are ready for collecting. Cloves are harvested when 1.5–2 cm long, and consist of a long calyx, terminating in four spreadingsepals, and four unopened petals which form a small ball in the center.

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