Amomum is a genus of plants native to China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland.[1][3] It includes several species of cardamom, especially black cardamom. Plants of this genus are remarkable for their pungency and aromatic properties.[4][5]
Among ancient writers, the name amomum was ascribed to various odoriferous plants that cannot be positively identified today. The word derives from Latin amomum,[6] which is the latinisation of the Greek ἄμωμον (amomon), a kind of an Indian spice plant.[7] Edmund Roberts noted on his 1834 trip to China that amomum was used as a spice to "season sweet dishes" in culinary practice.[8]