Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr.

  • Authority

    Landrum, Leslie R. 1986. Campomanesia, Pimenta, Blepharocalyx, Legrandia, Acca, Myrrhinium, and Luma (Myrtaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 45: 1-178. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Myrtaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr.

  • Type

    Type. Specimen 637.11 in Linnean Herbarium at BM (holotype, BM, n.v.; microfiche of holotype seen).

  • Synonyms

    Myrtus dioica L., Myrtus pimenta L., Caryophyllus pimento Mill., Myrtus pimenta var. longifolia Sims, Pimenta officinalis Lindl., Myrtus pimenta var. brevifolia Hayne, Eugenia pimenta (L.) DC., Eugenia pimenta var. longifolia (Sims) DC., Eugenia pimenta var. ovalifolia DC., Pimenta vulgaris Lindl., Pimenta aromatica Kostel., Evanesca crassifolia Raf., Pimentus vera Raf., Eugenia micrantha Bertol., Pimenta officinalis var. longifolia (Sims) O.Berg, Pimenta officinalis var. ovalifolia (DC.) O.Berg, Pimenta officinalis var. tenuifolia O.Berg, Pimenta, Myrtus piperita Sessé & Moc.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree up to 20 m high; hairs whitish-grey, simple or very asymmetrically dibrachiate, more or less appressed, ca. 0.1 mm long; young twigs glandular, densely to sparsely puberulent, usually 4-angled, light to dark reddish-brown. Leaves oblong-elliptic, elliptic, or elliptic-lanceolate, 5.5-17(-22) cm long, 2-6.5(-8) cm wide, 1.5-3.5 times as long as wide, glabrous or sparsely to densely strigose along the midvein above, glabrous or essentially so beneath; apex obtuse, obtusely acuminate, rounded, or rarely acute; base acute, cuneate or rounded; petiole channeled, 10—25 mm long, 1.5-3 mm thick, densely strigose at first, later glabrescent; midvein impressed for nearly entire length above, prominent below; lateral veins ca. 10-15 pairs moderately prominent below, usually leaving the midvein at an angle greater than 60°; marginal veins nearly equalling laterals in prominence, usually looping broadly between them; blades coriaceous to subcoriaceous at maturity, drying light to dark reddish-brown to grey-green or yellowish-green, usually somewhat darker above than below, dull or lustrous above. Inflorescence a panicle ca. 5-12 cm long, 3-4 times compound, often with 50-100 flowers, the branches densely to sparsely strigose, the basal stalk flattened, ca. 1-2 mm wide, the ultimate dichasial units with lateral flowers mostly on stalks 1-2 mm long, the smallest branchlets of the inflorescence ca. 0.3-0.5 mm wide; bracteoles and bracts caducous at or before anthesis, oblong-ovate, ca. 1-1.5 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide, moderately to densely pubescent; Calyx-lobes four, hemiorbicular to ovate, concave, ca. 1-1.5 mm long, ca. 1-2 mm wide, moderately to sparsely pubescent without, densely pubescent within; petals four, suborbicular, ca. 2 mm in diam., glandular, densely to sparsely pubescent; hypanthium obconic to campanulate, densely pubescent, ca. 1-1.5 mm long, scarcely prolonged beyond the summit of the ovary; disk ca. 2-3 mm across, sunken around the base of the style, the staminal ring densely pubescent, the disk otherwise nearly glabrous; stamens 30-120, ca. 2-4 mm long; anthers ca. 0.4 mm long; style ca. 3 mm long, sparsely pubescent, the stigma peltate, ca. twice as wide as the style; ovary 2-locular; ovules one or two per locule. Fruit subglobose, 5-10 mm in diam., densely covered with convex glands, drying light or dark brown. Seeds 1-3 per fruit, ca. 4 mm long, the embryo forming a double spiral, the testa membranous.

  • Discussion

    Local names and uses. Pimenta dioica has several common names (Morton, 1981), the most widely used probably being allspice, pimento, and malaqueta. Pimenta dioica is economically the most important member of the genus, providing the allspice or pimento of the spice trade. The unripe berries are gathered and dried and are sold whole or ground. Supposedly, allspice is similar in fragrance to a mixture of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. For an account of P. dioica as a crop plant see Purseglove et al. (1981). See Morton (1981) for a listing of the medicinal uses that have been made of the plant.

    Pimenta dioica is distinguished by: tetramerous flowers; bilocular ovaries with one or two ovules per locule; simple or nearly simple hairs; a panicle inflorescence with a peduncle 0.5-2 mm wide; a spicy fragrance; and elliptic to oblong, subcoriaceous to submembranous leaves. It is most closely related to the other Jamaican species and is compared with them in leads 13 and 15 of the key.

    As far as I know there is no specimen in the Linnean herbarium with which to typify Myrtus pimenta L. The illustration of Sloane (1725) is superior to that of Plukenet (1691) and has been chosen as the lectotype. Because of the economic importance of Pimenta dioica in Jamaica, there is little doubt as to which species Sloane and Linnaeus were referring.

    The description of Bertoloni of Eugenia micrantha and the common names that he cites strongly indicate Pimenta dioica, but I have seen no type specimen.

    Standley (1953) noted that the fruits of Pimenta dioica sold in the United States and Europe were of two different origins: Jamaica and to a lesser extent, the Yucatan peninsula. According to Standley P. dioica from the Yucatan has larger fruits with a smaller quantity of essential oils, and is known as “pimenta de Tabasco.” He proposed recognizing the central American population of Pimenta dioica as a separate variety, P. dioica var. tabasco (Schlechtendal & Chamisso) Standley. Lundell (1960) thought the differences merited recognition of a separate species, P. tabasco (Schlechtendal & Chamisso) Lundell. The basionym for both these names, Myrtus tabasco Schlechtendal & Chamisso, is based on a Humboldt specimen from Venezuela (McVaugh, 1963). I have seen a photograph (B 1263/ 23) of the sterile type in the Willdenow herbarium at B. It has been annotated by Urban as P. acris (a name Urban would have used for P. racemosa) and is indicated as being taken from a cultivated plant. Berg (1855) unknowingly based two varietal names of P. officinalis on the same type specimen: [var.] ß cumanensis Berg, and [var.] e tabasco (Schlechtendal & Chamisso) Berg.

    I can not be certain of the species from the examination of the type photograph, but I suspect that Urban’s determination is correct. Thus, the names based on the type specimen have been listed under P. racemosa. Furthermore, I do not think that there is sufficient evidence to warrant the recognition of the population of P. dioica in Central America as distinct.

  • Common Names

    allspice, pimento, malaqueta

  • Distribution

    A tree of forests, mainly below 700 m, in Mexico from Veracruz and Oaxaca to Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Cuba, and Jamaica. It is widely cultivated so its distribution may have been expanded by plants becoming naturalized.

    Mexico North America| Campeche Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Tabasco Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Yucatán Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Alta Verapaz Guatemala Central America| Petén Guatemala Central America| Quiché Guatemala Central America| Santa Rosa Guatemala Central America| Belize Central America| Honduras Central America| Atlántida Honduras Central America| Santa Bárbara Honduras Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| El Salvador Central America| San Salvador El Salvador Central America| Cuba South America| Isla de Piños Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Clarendon Jamaica South America| Manchester Jamaica South America| Portland Jamaica South America| Saint Andrew Jamaica South America| Saint Ann Jamaica South America| Saint Catherine Jamaica South America| Saint Elizabeth Jamaica South America| Saint James Jamaica South America| Saint Mary Jamaica South America| Trelawny Jamaica South America| Westmoreland Jamaica South America|