Syzygium Species, Clove, Nail Tree

I bought 50 clove seeds from a vendor in Hawaii (who is no longer in business). These seeds only ripen in late November or December when...Read More the weather is cold for much of the mainland. I don't know if it was the heat (in Hawaii) or the cold (here), but most of the seeds were not viable once they arrived. Green seeds might sprout. Brown ones won't. I planted them all in tiny pots on a heat mat anyway. Six sprouted. Most didn't live long. I was able to nurse one through to the following summer. It spent the summer outdoors. It seemed to thrive in the 98 degrees F and 98% humidity we have in the Southeast USA. Unfortunately, the following autumn I didn't bring it inside soon enough and I think a cool night killed it. The temperature dropped below 60 degrees F that night and my tiny clove tree wilted.

Clove trees are EXTREMELY tropical, at least the young one I had in a container was. My guess is the trees can stand temperatures in the 50s with roots in the ground, but if it's in a container where the roots get cool too, that's a big no.

Ordinarily I'd give a plant that was this anxious to die a negative rating, but it was just so cool to be growing a clove tree sapling, that I'd try again in a heartbeat. I'd make sure to remember to bring it indoors the first week of September.

I recently aquired a small clove tree which I will attempt to nurse through winter in warm position in a pot. Clove is native to a small ...Read Moregroup of islands in Northern Indonesia called the Moluccas, Ternate, Tidor and Bacan being the three main islands where this spice was propogated. Today Zanzibar and Madagascar are the major producers of cloves for the world market.

Syzygium aromaticum is a very tropical tree and does not tollerate cold (

Clove comes from India, and was one of the most overlooked spices before the advent of the refrigerator. The dried up floral buds were us...Read Moreed to conservate meat and perishable food, and even today is used to give a particular taste to sweets, desserts and many other recipes.

This is a short to medium sized tree, reaching around 15m tall, but producing flowers even when still short. The leaves are green and shiny, and have a strong aroma too. The flowers are small and white. The floral buds must be collected and dried before blooming. I don´t have information about fruits nor seeds.

It needs high temperatures, full sun (tolerates some shade), and moist rich soil.