Greetings all. I've mentioned in previous posts that I live in an off-grid intentional community way out in the jungles of Lower Puna, on the Eastern tip of the Big Island of Hawai'i. It's basically an 18-acre permacultural food forest. I've been here for over three years, and I still discover new plants on the property all the time, and I pay attention, being the plant freak/whisperer that I am.
Cardamon is one plant that I didn't know was already growing on the property. One of the founding members had planted it years ago. Since realizing what it was, I've been propagating and spreading it around quite a bit. So far I've only seen one seed pod on it. I've been weeding it to help give it more light and room. It could like use some nutrient-dense mulch.
The first photo is a close up of one of the unusual and beautiful flowers. While they are lovely, they often go unseen, as they appear at the base of the plant, about a foot from the ground.
The second photo is a zoom out of the entire plant.
Elettaria cardamomum (green or true cardamon) is a herbaceous tropical rhizomatous monocot in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, so it has that general appearance. I thought it was a ginger. There are lots of gingers out here, and their relatives. Pretty much all the plant in the family have culinary and medicinal uses, and that is no exception with cardamon. I'll be working with this plant much more in the future, exploring its healing and medicinal properties.
I hope you've enjoyed this tiny plant snippet from my world. I have lots of diverse plants, so I'll most likely be sharing more soon. I love sharing about plants. 🙏💚