Calabash Nutmeg
Calabash nutmeg, Jamaica nutmeg (Monodora myristica -- Family Annonaceae) is another non-related spice using the name of nutmeg. It is obtained from a small genus of large trees and climbers from tropical Africa and Madagascar and carried to the West Indies during the slave-trade. The aromatic oil of the seeds contains limonene, myristicol, aromatic pinene, as well as other compounds which give them a close resemblance to the nutmeg oil. The tree grows to about eighty feet and bears fruit from April to September. The fruits are slightly elongated and about eight inches long and six inches wide. The green fruit has numerous seeds imbedded in the whitish, sweet-smelling pulp. Each is oblong, almost an inch long, and pale brown when fresh. The kernel is aromatic and hard, containing up to 36% oil.
