Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

Pimenta dioica is a slow growing evergreen tree that grows to a height of about 9 m (about 30 ft), with whitish gray bark that peels in thin sheets. The leaves are large, about 8 inches long by 2 inches wide opposite-oblong and leathery, glossy green, aromatic and quite attractive. At the leaf axils, Allspice produces pyramidal cymes of small white flowers which function as male and others as fruiting female flowers that will develop into clusters of brownish green, pleasantly spicy, pea-sized berries with 1 or 2 seeds. The fruit is harvested while immature when it is most strongly flavored.
(Magness, J.R., Markle, G.M. and Compton, C.C. 971. Food and feed crops of the United States.)
(Lambert Ortiz, Elisabeth. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Herbs Spices & Flavorings.)

Eugenol oil is used as an anesthetic for tooth aches and as a digestive aid.
(Magness, J.R., Markle, G.M. and Compton, C.C. 971. Food and feed crops of the United States.)
(Lambert Ortiz, Elisabeth. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Herbs Spices & Flavorings.)

Pimenta dioica is native to the West Indies, Southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Allspice is grown commercially in Central America.
(Magness, J.R., Markle, G.M. and Compton, C.C. 971. Food and feed crops of the United States.)
(Lambert Ortiz, Elisabeth. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Herbs Spices & Flavorings.)

The green berries are picked and then dried. The whole dried fruit is ground to produce the spice or condiment Allspice. Both pulp and seeds are aromatic with a very high content of eugenol oil. This oil is also extracted from the leaves and the bark of the tree.
Allspice is used in pickles, ketchup and marinades, in cooking meats, and vegetables and to flavor pumpkin pies, cakes and candies. Northern Europeans use allspice in sausages and pickled fish. The liqueurs Benedictine and Chartreuse contain Allspice flavoring.
The essential oil is also used to scent cosmetics and perfumes.
(Magness, J.R., Markle, G.M. and Compton, C.C. 971. Food and feed crops of the United States.)
(Lambert Ortiz, Elisabeth. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Herbs Spices & Flavorings.)

Allspice as a name is due to the fact that the leaves and fruit smell like a combination of cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
The name Pimento is sometimes applied to the pimiento, a variety of sweet pepper, also used as a spice.
Pimenta dioica was "discovered" in Mexico by the 16th century Spanish explorers who called it "pimienta" confusing it with black pepper. The traveling Spaniards were so intent on finding a new source of black pepper that they also confused the New World “chili” with the precious East Indian spice. Nowadays Allspice is grown commercially in Mexico, Honduras, Trinidad, Cuba, and especially in Jamaica, which practically has a monopoly. It is the only spice whose commercial production is entirely confined to the New World.
(Magness, J.R., Markle, G.M. and Compton, C.C. 971. Food and feed crops of the United States.)
(Lambert Ortiz, Elisabeth. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Herbs Spices & Flavorings.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)

We currently have 12 herbarium specimens for Pimenta dioica in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• 017086 - collected by W. M. Bush in 1974
• 017084 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1983
• 036671 - collected by Colleen Cory in 1986
• 017085 - collected by David H. Lorence in 1988
• 017087 - collected by Gwen Ihrig sub George Staples in 1990
• 037010 - collected by Forest Starr in 2001
• 045636 - collected by Hank Oppenheimer in 2006
• 056054 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2007
• S062917 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2007
• 050671 - collected by Tim Flynn in 2009
• 068354 - collected by Steve Perlman in 2013
• 089008 - collected by Kevin Faccenda in 2021