Distribution and Habitat: Native to West India, Tropical Central America and Jamaica. It is grown in gardens of Bangalore, Bihar, Orissa, Kerala and West Bengal.

Botany: Evergreen aromatic tree which may attain a height of 12m.

• Leaves : Aromatic.
• Flowers: Small and white in colour with a peculiar aroma. They are present in groups of cymes. They are structurally hermaphrodite but functionally dioecious. Those trees which bear no fruit are male trees where in the flowers will have above 100 stamens and the flowers in bearing female trees have around 50 stamens. The receptacle has four cream coloured calyx lobe, spreading at anthesis and persistent in the fruit. Petals are 4, whitish and quickly deciduous. The style is white with a yellow stigma. In females, the style is slightly shorter and the stigma longer than in the barren trees. The ovary is inferior and two celled, usually with one ovule in each cell.
•  Fruits :Berries, mature  3-4 months later, globular, 5-7 mm across, reddish brown in colour and with a some what rough surface. The fruit has two kidney shaped seeds. Male trees flower early.

Chemical constituents: Essential oils from berries contains chiefly of eugenol, methyleugenol, iso-caryophyllene and β- caryophyllene, α-phellandrene.

Uses:  Berry oil and leaf oil is used as carminative and stimulant. Its fruit can be used against flatulence, diarrhea, dyspepsia, neuralgia and rheumatism.

Propagation:  By seeds and shoot cuttings.  Vegetative propagation by bottle grafting, budding, approach grafting and top working is also possible.

Harvesting: Fruits are ready to harvest after 3-4 months of flowering. The unripe berry is more spicy and somewhat peppery in taste. They are gathered by climbing on ladder. After harvest ripe berries are separated from free ones.