Nutmeg

The nutmeg fruit appears on the national flag – Grenada is one of the world’s largest producers of nutmeg.

An evergreen tree of the nutmeg family, growing to 10–20 m, with dark, glossy, aromatic leaves. The plants are dioecious, so only female trees bear fruit. The yellow, apricot-like fruits split open when ripe, revealing a brown seed – the nutmeg – wrapped in a bright red, lacy aril, which is dried to produce mace. The species originates from the Moluccas in Indonesia.

Significance in the country

Nutmeg trees were brought to Grenada in 1843 and quickly became the mainstay of the economy – a stylised nutmeg found its way onto the national flag; Hurricane Ivan destroyed most of the trees in 2004, but the plantations are gradually recovering, and a traditional nutmeg processing station still operates in Gouyave.

Where it grows

In the humid, mountainous areas of the main island, especially in the parishes of Saint John (Gouyave), Saint Mark, Saint Andrew and Saint Patrick; not grown on dry Carriacou.

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