The Scarlet Mace of the Nutmeg Tree: Beauty, Botany, and a Spice of Legend
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
November 15, 1843
Dearest reader,
On this day, a charming note surfaced in the pages of the New England Farmer, casting a verdant spotlight on the illustrious nutmeg tree, a botanical treasure that flourishes near the equator in Indonesia, not Singapore.
The article described the nutmeg’s lifecycle with an elegance that only a devoted garden scribe could muster. Raised tenderly from the nut in nurseries until its fifth year, it is then planted in diamond order, with a stately male tree at the center, thirty feet apart—an exquisite layout that ensures both beauty and bounty.
The nutmeg tree flourishes in Singapore, near the equator. It is raised from the nut in nurseries, where it remains till the fifth year, when it puts forth its first blossoms and shows its sex. It is then set out permanently.
The trees are planted thirty feet apart, in diamond order a male tree in the centre. They begin to bear in the eighth year, increasing for many years, and they pay a large profit. There is no nutmeg season.
Every day of the year shows buds, blossoms and fiuit, in every stage of growth to maturity. The lutmeg is a large and beautiful tree, with thick foliage and of a rich green color.
The ripe fruit is singularly brilliant. The shell is glossy black, and the mace it exposes when it bursts, is of a bright scarlet, making the tree one of the most beautiful objects of the vegetable world.
As we know, the nutmeg tree is no ordinary flora. It begins to bear fruit by its eighth year and continues to produce a fortune in fragrant treasures for many decades, often more than six.
This remarkable tree, as tall as 65 feet, is luscious with thick, rich-green foliage, and its fruit—a striking resemblance to apricots—reveals a spectacle of colors when ripe.
Picture the glossy black shell bursting to reveal the bright scarlet mace, a vivid contrast that adorns the tree like a jeweled ornament in the vegetable kingdom.
And, dear reader, there is a botanical twist worthy of note: the nutmeg is not a true nut but a fruit. Unlike true nuts, nutmeg presents a safe delight for those with nut allergies—a curious fact that may surprise many in our circle of garden enthusiasts.
The botanical name Myristica fragrans itself is a fragrant whisper from antiquity, derived from the Greek meaning “fragrance for anointing,” a clue to its ancient uses beyond mere culinary delight.
But be warned—while nutmeg’s allure is undeniable, it carries a sly reputation in some corners of the world. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, nutmeg is considered a narcotic and therefore banned unless blended into approved spice mixes.
What mystery lies in this humble fruit that bridges the worlds of kitchen and caution?
So, garden lovers, as you contemplate the nutmeg tree, will you marvel at its enduring fruitfulness, its vivid displays, or the rich history folded within its fragrant name?
What secrets might this tree whisper to the careful gardener, balancing beauty, bounty, and a splash of intrigue?
