NUTMEG (ME. nut/acetic, nut in eye, from vat usage, OF. ?nage. musk, from Lat. -mucus. musk). The kernel of the fruit of several species of Myristiea, of the natural order Myristienee:e, which eontains about eighty species, all tropical trees or shrubs, natives of Asia, Madagascar. and America. The fruit is succulent. It opens like a capsule by two valves. The seed is nut-like, covered with a laciniated fleshy aril which ap pears in commerce as mace. The species which furnish the greater part of the nutmegs of com merce is Myristiea fragrans. or mosehata, a tree about :13 feet in height, with oblong leaves, and axillary, few-flowered racemes; the fruit, which is golden yellow when ripe, resembles a pear in size and appearance. The fleshy part of the fruit. which is rather hard, is of a peculiar con sistence, resembling candied fruit, and it is often preserved and eaten as a sweetmeat. Nutmegs are now successfully cultivated in the East In dies. Spice Islands. West Indies, and Brazil. Nutmegs- are ehielly used as a spice. They yield.
by expression, a peculiar yellow fat, called oil of mace (because of its color and flavor, it was generally supposed to he derived from mace), and by distillation is obtained an almost •colorless essential oil which has very fully the flavor of the nutmeg. In ISM) the United States im ported nutmegs to the value of $53-1.340,.
Other species of Myristiea yield Intmegs which, though sometimes used. are of inferior quality. The fruits of several species of Lauraceir also resemble nutmegs in their aro matic and other properties. as the cotyledons of Neetandra Puchury-major and Puchury-minor, the Piehurim beans of commerce, and the fruit of Aerodielidium Camara, a tree of Guiana. the eamara or ackawai nutmeg. The clove nutmegs of Madagasear are the fruit or Bavensara aroma ticum, and the Brazilian nutmegs of Cryptoenrya mosehata. The calabash nutmeg is the fruit of Mondnra Myristica, of the natural order Anona eefe. See Colored Plate of FLAvoluxe PLANTS.