Elettaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zingiberaceae, within the order Zingiberales — the ginger order, which also includes bananas, heliconias, and true gingers. The genus is native to the tropical forests of India and Sri Lanka, though its best-known member has since been spread widely through cultivation.
Taxonomically, Elettaria has been in flux. In 2018 several species formerly placed in the genus were split off into a newly described genus, Sulettaria. A more recent phylogenetic analysis, published in 2024, resolved a well-defined clade of seven accepted Elettaria species, all native to India and Sri Lanka. That study places Elettaria as sister to the African genus Aframomum and to Renealmia, a genus spanning Africa and the Neotropics, while distinguishing it from two other Sri Lankan genera, Cyphostigma and Srilankanthus.
By far the genus's most significant member is Elettaria cardamomum, known as green or true cardamom. Its dried seed pods are a commercially important spice, prized for their intense, aromatic flavor and used as a flavouring agent in cuisines and beverages across many countries. This economic importance has made E. cardamomum, and by extension the genus name, familiar well beyond specialist botanical circles, even though the other six recognized species remain comparatively obscure and largely confined to their native range.
Distribution
Native to India and Sri Lanka, but widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere, chiefly for the spice trade in E. cardamomum.
Taxonomy Notes
Several species once placed in Elettaria were moved to the new genus Sulettaria in 2018. A 2024 phylogenetic study confirmed seven accepted species in a well-defined Elettaria clade, sister to the African genus Aframomum and to Renealmia (Africa/Neotropics), and distinct from the Sri Lankan genera Cyphostigma and Srilankanthus. GBIF's backbone currently lists only 2 descendant taxa, lagging this newer treatment.
Cultural Uses
Elettaria cardamomum (green or true cardamom) is a commercially important spice, used as a flavouring agent in many countries.
