Spice diversity and conservation of plants that yield major spices in India

Abstract

India is the land of spices. The spices from the Malabar coast of Kerala have long been used in western cuisine. Spices like black pepper have their origin in India, which is also a major production centre of many of the other spices such as cardamom, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg and clove. The Western Ghat forests and northeastern India are also well-known centres of biodiversity for some of the major spices. Species and varietal diversity are very important components of biodiversity, especially in black pepper, ginger, turmeric and cardamom. However, for tree spices such as nutmeg, clove and cinnamon, true varietal diversity has not yet been determined.