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SPECIAL COLLECTION:
Spice Plants

A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, berry, bud or other vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Many spices have antimicrobial properties. This may explain why spices are more commonly used in warmer climates, which have more infectious diseases, and why the use of spices is proeminent in meat, which is particularly susceptible to spoiling. Spices are sometimes used in medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics or perfume production, or as a vegetable.1


  1. Spice at Wikipedia. Last accessed on Thursday, August 04, 2016.

Greenhouse Locator Map:

data regenerated on Fri, 09 May 2025 02:14:00 -0400

27 Accessions:

Aframomum melegueta Allium schoenoprasum Alpinia galanga Alpinia zerumbet Bixa orellana Cinnamomum verum Curcuma longa Curcuma longa Elettaria cardamomum Murraya koenigii Piper nigrum Rosmarinus officinalis Saccharum officinarum Stevia rebaudiana Tamarindus indica Vanilla planifolia Vanilla pompona


Number in parentheses references locator map icons

  • {1} Vanilla pompona - Vanilla Orchid - Orchidaceae
  • {2} Tamarindus indica - Tamarind - Fabaceae
  • {3} Capsicum chinense - Indian Chile - Solanaceae
  • {4} Elettaria cardamomum - Cardamom - Zingiberaceae
  • {5} Piper nigrum - Black Pepper - Piperaceae
  • {6} Alpinia zerumbet - Shell Ginger - Zingiberaceae
  • {7} Saccharum officinarum - Sugar Cane - Poaceae
  • {8} Murraya koenigii - Curry Leaf Tree - Rutaceae
  • {9} Pimenta dioica - Allspice, Jamaican Pepper - Myrtaceae
  • {10} Bixa orellana - Annatto - Bixaceae
  • {10} Phyla scaberrima - Aztec Sweet Herb - Verbenaceae
  • {11} Stevia rebaudiana - Sweetleaf - Asteraceae
  • {12} Acmella oleracea - Toothache Plant - Asteraceae
  • {13} Crocus sativus - Saffron Crocus - Iridaceae
  • {13} Rosmarinus officinalis - Rosemary - Lamiaceae
  • {13} Vitex agnus-castus - Chaste Tree - Lamiaceae
  • {14} Ruta graveolens - Common Rue, Herb-of-Grace - Rutaceae
  • {15} Laurus nobilis - Laurel, Sweet Bay - Lauraceae
  • {16} Allium schoenoprasum - Chives - Amaryllidaceae
  • {17} Houttuynia cordata - Chameleon Plant, Heartleaf, Giap ca, Dokudami - Saururaceae
  • {18} Cinnamomum verum - Ceylon Cinnamon - Lauraceae
  • {19} Curcuma longa - Zingiberaceae
  • {20} Alpinia galanga - Greater Galangal - Zingiberaceae W/C
  • {21} Curcuma longa - Turmeric - Zingiberaceae
  • {22} Vanilla planifolia - Vanilla Orchid - Orchidaceae
  • {23} Aframomum melegueta - Grains of Paradise - Zingiberaceae W/C
  • {0} Chrysobalanus icaco - Cocoplum, Icaco - Chrysobalanaceae

W/C = Wild Collected
= Currently Flowering
= Image(s) Available
= map available for this accession
= voucher(s) on file at CONN for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days
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