It isn't Elettaria cardamomum? are the leaves fuzzy? If it is the Elettaria...bring it inside in the winter and in a couple of years, you MIGHT get a flower and a cardamom seed! :o)
xoxoSleep

Nope. No fuzzy leaves. The grower wrote that it's Ammomum cardomom. I'm thinking I'll just have to acquire one and try growing it, see what happens, the proof-is-in-the-pudding and all that....

I have grown this plant for years at my nursery here in East Texas. Funny, I have never seen it bloom before- even in a greenhouse situation. I sell it as a shady alternative to ferns ect. It is ground hardy here (a mean, rough, zone 8). At any rate, it is so easy to grow and propagate. I sell them for .99 in 4 inch pots and BIG ones in gallon pots for 4.99.

It's called Cinnamon Ginger because of the foliage fragrance, which is very similar to cinnamon bark.

It is called either Elletaria or Ammomum Cardamomum (either name is correct). Leaves are similar to that of some bamboo. I've been growing it on my windowsill in winter and outdoors in summer for about 10 yrs. So far no flowers or seeds.

Fleurkat,

Actually when it comes to scientific names only one name can be correct. Cardamon is Elettaria cardamomum, Amomum is a completely different genus. But you are partially correct in that I'm pretty sure Amomum cardamomum is a synonym of E. card. However, the names are not interchangeable so be sure to use Elettaria as the genus for cardamon.

-Kyle

Seeds of Amomum compactum are used as a substitute for the real deal. As mentioned before, 99.99% of the plants being grown and sold as cardamom are NOT labeled correctly at all (they are neither Elettaria nor Amomum, but Alpinia spp.). Alpinia nutans is one of the main mislabeled plants, but I'm sure there are others. I've seen Alpinia nutans sold as both Amomum compactum as well as Elettaria cardamomum. If you want Cardamom spice, buy it at the grocery store, this is not one you can grow easily for its spice as you can with Zingiber officinale or Alpinia galanga (where the rhizomes are what is harvested).

Tim Chapman

Try amomum compactum. I have it growing for the first year, but was told it does not flower. I like its neat clumping form . The leaves smell really good when crushed. Let me know what you have to trade if you still want some.