Clove

            
             * Scientific Name: Syzygium aromaticum.
            
            
             * Habitat: Cloves are slow-growing trees that do best on deep volcanic soils with abundant rainfall and good drainage. .
             * Habit: The clove tree is an evergeen that grows to about 25 to 40 feet (8 to 12 m) in height. The flowers are small and produced in great abundance in clusters. The leaves, flowers, and bark are aromatic.
             * Reproduction: Few flowers develop into fruit. The fruit, called mother of cloves, contains one seed or rarely two seeds. Seed production requires cross-pollination. .
             * Unique Features: Clove oil is 60 to 90 percent eugenol, which is the source of its anesthetic and antiseptic properties.
             * Economic Value: About 42 million pounds of cloves are consumed annually. The buds are dried and marketed either whole or ground for cooking purposes. Clove oil, obtained by distillation, is widely used in synthetic vanilla and other flavorings as well as in perfumes. It is often considered medicinal and antiseptic. Clove is also used in dental preparations, and as a fragrance component in toothpaste, soaps, toiletries, cosmetics and perfumes. .
             * Cultural Importance: In Chinese history, those who addressed the Chinese emperor were required to hold cloves in their mouths to mask bad breath. Traditional Chinese physicians have long used the herb to treat indigestion, diarrhea, hernia, and ringworm, as well as athlete's foot and other fungal infections. It was also used to ease the pain of child birth (steeped in wine) and for toothache. The Portuguese and Dutch traded the clove so much that they ended up eliminating the tree from all but one island until the late 18th century. .