Amomum is a genus of plants containing about 111 species native to China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland.Flora of China v 24 p 347, 豆蔻属 dou kou shu, Amomum Roxburgh, Pl. Coromandel. 3: 75. 1820. It includes several species of cardamom. Plants of this genus are remarkable for their pungency and aromatic properties.Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 1-529. MIM, Deurne.Lamxay, V. & Newman, M.F. (2012). A revision of Amomum (Zingiberaceae) in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 69: 99-206.
Among ancient writers, the name amomum was ascribed to various odoriferous plants that cannot be positively identified today. The word derives from Latin amomum,amomum, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, on Perseus Digital Library which is the latinisation of the Greek ἄμωμον (amomon), a kind of an Indian spice plant.ἄμωμον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library Edmund Roberts noted on his 1834 trip to China that amomum was used as a spice to "season sweet dishes" in culinary practice.
Selected species See list of Amomum species for a complete list.
The following have further information: Amomum exertum Amomum smithiae Amomum subulatum (black cardamom) - type species
Formerly placed here Amomum compactum – now Wurfbainia compacta Amomum costatum – now Hornstedtia costata Amomum dallachyi – now Meistera dallachyi Amomum elegans – now Wurfbainia elegans Amomum ensal – now Elettaria cardamomum Amomum epiphyticum – now Epiamomum epiphyticum Amomum filiforme – now Hedychium coronarium Amomum melegueta – now Aframomum melegueta Amomum mioga – now Zingiber mioga Amomum ovoideum – now Wurfbainia uliginosa Amomum pulchellum – now Cyphostigma pulchellum Amomum repens – now Renealmia alpinia Amomum robustum – now Wurfbainia uliginosa Amomum tsao-ko – now Lanxangia tsaoko Amomum uliginosum – now Wurfbainia uliginosa Amomum uncinatum – now Elettaria cardamomum Amomum villosum – now Wurfbainia villosa Amomum zambesiacum – now Aframomum zambesiacum
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