Clove

Clove, common name for a tropical tree of the myrtle family, and for its dried flower buds. The clove tree is a small- to medium-size evergreen; native to the Moluccas, eastern Indonesia, it is now cultivated elsewhere in the tropics. The flowers are small and produced in great profusion in clusters. The leaves, flowers, and bark are aromatic. The ripe fruit resembles an olive in shape but is smaller. It is dark red and is sometimes sold in a dried state under the name mother clove; in this form it has an aroma and flavour similar to those of clove but much weaker. The flower buds are gathered and dried by exposure to the smoke of a wood fire and to the rays of the Sun. Cloves are used extensively as a condiment and flavouring in many types of cookery.

Oil is obtained from cloves by repeated distilling. In dentistry this oil is used as an anaesthetic and sometimes as an antiseptic. It is also used in perfumes and soaps.

Scientific classification: The clove tree belongs to the family Myrtaceae. It is classified as Syzygium aromaticum.