Elettaria
| Elettaria | |
|---|---|
| True Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) 1896 illustration | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Subfamily: | Alpinioideae |
| Tribe: | Alpinieae |
| Genus: | Elettaria Maton, 1811 |
| Synonyms | |
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Elettaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zingiberaceae. They are native to India and Sri Lanka, but cultivated and naturalized elsewhere. One member of the genus, E. cardamomum, is a commercially important spice used as a flavouring agent in many countries.
In 2018, several species were removed from Elettaria and placed in a new genus called Sulettaria. These species are recognized as of October 2018:
- Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton - India
- Elettaria ensal (Gaertn.) Abeyw. - Sri Lanka
These former species from Malaysia and Indonesia were reclassified into Sulettaria in 2018:
- Elettaria brachycalyx S.Sakai & Nagam. - Sarawak
- Elettaria kapitensis S.Sakai & Nagam. - Sarawak
- Elettaria linearicrista S.Sakai & Nagam. - Sarawak, Brunei
- Elettaria longipilosa S.Sakai & Nagam. - Sarawak
- Elettaria longituba (Ridl.) Holttum - Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia
- Eulettaria multiflora (Ridl.) R.M.Sm. - Sumatra, Sarawak
- Elettaria rubida R.M.Sm. - Sabah, Sarawak
- Elettaria stoloniflora (K.Schum.) S.Sakai & Nagam. - Sarawak
- Elettaria surculosa (K.Schum.) B.L.Burtt & R.M.Sm. - Sarawak