Abstract
India has been referred as the land of spices, because of its contribution to the world of the two main spices, the black pepper (Piper longum L.) and cardamom [Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton], originated in the tropical evergreen forests of Western Ghats of South India, where their wild form still exists. The other two equally important spices contributed are ginger (Zingiber spp.) and turmeric (Curcuma spp.) for which South Asian region, possibly India, is believed to be the center of origin, with maximum number of species diversity (Fig. 11.1). Other spices relevant from wild relatives’ point of view in Indian context are Amomum Roxb., among herbs, Trigonella and Foeniculum in seed spices, and Cinnamomum and Garcinia in tree spices. Amomum is represented by 22 species, mostly restricted to Northeast India and South India (Thomas et al. 2010). Their number from South India has risen to eight with description A. fulviceps Thwaites (Thomas et al. 2009) and A. nilgiricum (Thomas et al. 2012a, b).
Published Version
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