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The clove tree, Syzygium aromaticum, is native to the Malay Islands. Generations of island inhabitants used different parts of the tree for medicinal and culinary purposes. A natural anaesthetic with antibacterial properties, clove leaves’ oil has been applied in dental care to relieve toothaches. It also has uses in aromatherapy, anti-inflammatory treatments, and food preservation.
The part of the plant utilized for spice is the unopened flower bud. Once dried and ground, clove is used the world over as an aromatic and warm spice employed in curries, marinades, teas, and baked goods. Although many humans enjoy cloves, some bugs do not. Clove leaves’ essential oil acts as a mosquito repellant and can be wielded as a larvicide in the fight against dengue fever.
The clove tree and other plants native to the Island of Ambon, part of modern-day Indonesia, were included in Georg Eberhard Rumphius’ herbal called Herbarium Amboinense. An herbal is a book about herbs, spices, and their medicinal properties. Rumphius was a German botanist who worked for the Dutch East India Company in the seventeenth century, and during his commission, he set out to catalog the exotic plants he saw there. Discover more herbal illustrations like Rumphius' clove tree in NAL's online exhibit of rare books.
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