The clove plant is an evergreen tree native to Indonesia. It produces aromatic flowers and fruits. The dried flower buds are used as the spice clove. Cloves contain volatile oils such as eugenol that give them their strong spicy scent and taste. Cloves are commonly used as a spice in cooking but also have traditional medicinal uses as an analgesic, antiseptic, and carminative agent.

2.  Range from woody shrubs to tall trees
 Leaves are aromatic, containing oil glands
 Flowers may be white, pink, red, purple, yellow.
They usually have five sepals and petals and
many stamens. Stamens are long and
conspicuous.
 Fruit is generally woody
 Some plants in this family are:
Syzygium aromaticum (Lwang) , Syzygium
cumini (Jamuna) and other Syzygium species
Psidium guajava (Amba) and Psidium species
Eucalyptus globulus and other Eucalyptus species

3. Synonyms:
 Eugenia aromatica
 Eugenia caryophyllatum
 Jambosa caryophyllus
 Myrtus caryophyllus
Common names:
 Nepali: Lwang
 English: clove
Distribution and Habitat:
 Plants grows well in rich, loamy soil with high humus content
 Also grows well near the sea in open sandy loam and at altitudes
from sea level to 600m (Tropical)
 Native to North Moluccas, the spice Islands of Indonesia. It is
cultivated in Mauritius, India, Srilanka, Brazil, the West Indies,
Pemba Islands

4.  Evergreen plant,10-20m high
 Leaves: opposite, egg-shaped to elliptic 6-13cm by 3-6cm
 Flower
 reddish brown in color
 Lower stalk-like ‘hypanthium’ and upper called ‘crown’ or ‘cap’
 Hypanthium is surrounded with 4 thick divergent sepals and
dome-shaped corolla
 Upper portion shows inferior bilocular ovary and oil glands
 Crown consists of Calyx, Corolla, Stamen and Style
 Corolla-imbricate membranous petals
 Stamens-numerous, free, introse, tetradelphous
 Gynoecium-inferior bilocular ovary with numerous ovules and
axile placentation, style in centre, nectar disc at the base
 Fruit: small, dark red colored berry, 2-2.5 cm long
 Odour: Strong, spicy and aromatic
 Taste: Pungent aromatic

7. Figure: Clove flowering buds

8. T.S of hypanthium shows:
 Epidermis with thick cuticle and stomata
 Collenchymatus Parenchyma containing
numerous schizoly-sigenous oil glands
 Calcium oxalate clusters in Parenchyma
 Zone of slightly thick walled cells embedding
arising of about 15 bilateral vascular bundles
 Parenchyma containing air spaces or lacuna
(Arenchyma)
 Central columella-Thick walled Parenchymatous
cells containing cluster crystals of calcium
oxalate and 20-25 small vascular bundles

9. Figure: Transverse section of Clove hypanthium

10. A & B=two types of clove; C=Fruit (mother clove);
D=stalk; E=L.S of clove bud; F=T.S. of clove hypanthium;
G=stamen; H=petal

11.  Dried flower buds

12.  Clove contains about 14-20% of volatile
oil,10-13% of tannin
 Characterized by presence of Eugenol
(mostly) 60-95%, Eugenol Acetate (2-27%)
and β caryophyllene (5-10%)
Eugenol
-caryophyllene

13.  Clove oil used as analgesic, antiseptic, aromatic,
anthelmintic, mosquito repellent, anti-rheumatic,
carminative agent, antibiotic
 Dentists also use clove oil to disinfect root canal
 Clove’s oil is used aromatherapy when
stimulation and warming are needed , especially
for digestive problems
 Used in preparation of gargles, mouthwash and
toothpastes
 Clove oil is used in the preparation of scented
cigarettes

14.  The Natural History Museum,2013,Viable
Herbal Solutions Website
 Kokate C.K, 1996, Practical of
Pharmacognosy, 4th edition, Deihi-110034,
Vallabh Prakashan