Note: Information is dated. Do not rely on it.

Cloves. A very pungent aromatic spice, the dried flower buds of Caryophyllus aromaticus, a native of the Molucca islands, belonging to the myrtle tribe, now cultivated in Sumatra, Mauritius, Malacca, Jamaica, etc. The tree is a handsome evergreen from fifteen to thirty feet high, with large elliptic smooth leaves and numerous purplish flowers on jointed stalks. Every part of the plant abounds in the volatile oil for which the flower buds are prized. The spice yields a very fragrant odor, and has a bitterish, pungent, and warm taste. It is sometimes employed as a hot and stimulating medicine, but is more frequently used in culinary preparations.

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