allspice pimenta kebab chini climate kerala karnataka tree male female yield market demand
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Allspice (Pimenta dioica), sometimes called kebab chini or sweet pepper berry, is a humid tropical tree that grows in places like Kerala, coastal Karnataka and Tamil Nadu hills with warm humid conditions and some shade, similar to nutmeg and clove gardens. The dried unripe berries carry a flavour that hints at clove, cinnamon and nutmeg together, which is where the name allspice comes from, and the leaves also yield oil. A practical point, like nutmeg the trees can be male or female and you need female trees for berries, so grafted plants of bearing lines are better than chance seedlings. The Indian market is niche and demand is limited compared to major spices, so before planting confirm a buyer and treat it as a minor diversification crop, verifying suitability with your KVK.
I have a few allspice trees as a curiosity in my spice garden. They grow well in our humid climate but selling is the issue, the local market is small. Good as a mixed garden tree, not a main crop.