Evergreen tree 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft.) in height; grows in Java,
Sumatra, Borneo, Penang, Moluccas, and in several other islands
of the Indian Ocean. It has alternate leaves and dioecious flowers.
Consequently, only female trees bear nuts; male plants are interdispersed
in the groves only to ensure pollination. The ripe fruits
are yellow-red with a fleshy pericarp; the red arillode is tightly
wrapped around a woody hull containing the seed.
Note: Mace designates the dried arillodes of nutmeg. The ratio of
nutmegs to mace is approximately 10:1. Nutmeg and mace yield
different, but sometimes similar, products.
The parts used are the nuts (free of the outer pulp) and arillodes
(decolorized with lime). The most commercially important qualities
of nutmeg and mace follow:
Banda nutmeg and Banda mace contain 8% and 13% essential
oil, respectively;
Java nutmeg and Java mace contain 6.5% and 11% essential
oil, respectively; and
Siauw nutmeg and Siauw mace contain 6.5% and 10 to 12%
essential oil, respectively.
These qualities are further subdivided according to size-large,
medium, and small-for extraction and according to appearance-
whole, worm-eaten, etc.
