Plant of the day is: Pimenta dioica or allspice/pimento

The transformers nerd in my always thinks about the allspark...

But no, this is the allspice or in Jamaica it was often referred to as the pimento.  The name allspice was actually coined by the English about 1612 who thought it combined the flavor of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Indeed when I had some of the sauces that had allspice in it, I thought it had a very complex spicy flavor.  I was a fan, Niki was not so inclined.

The western worlds exposure to the plant came on Columbus's second journey to the Americas.  You know, when he "discovered" them.  His physician Diego Alvarez Chanca actually named the plant and was one of the first Europeans to describe the flora and fauna of the Americas.  European and Mediterranean cuisine adopted the flavor and Jamaica held sway in the exportation of it.

While the leaves of the plant can be used, they do not hold flavor well when dried.  Allspice then, is the dried unripened fruit of the plant.  If Wiki can be believe, it actually stores better whole and un-ground.

Now, for true Jamaican jerk, we were informed by a tour guide that meat must be laid on allspice wood and cooked for uhhh bunch a hours.

SO!

ID:  I have a picture of my own I'll add later when I can dig it up.  It is an evergreen bush/tree growing from 10 to 18m in height.  The bark is kind of light in color and stringy/peeling to look at.  I saw several of them on the drive to the resort and thought the bark looked like the delicious Jabuticaba tree.  For me the bark is a great ID at distance but if there be any question...grab a leaf.  Crush it in your hands and sniff.  It smells awesome, you can imagine my delight sniffing one of these in Jamaica.  Still makes me smile :).

Our guide also correctly informed us that the seeds do not germinate well at all unless they pass through the innards of a bird.  The acidity and/or temperature of the bird guts stratify the seed so that it can germinate.  The eastern red ceder Juniperus virginiana also has berries that benefit from the ole bird belly treatment.

Taxonomy/Morphology:  Also a member of the Myrtle or Myrtaceae family.  The species designation indicates that it is a dioecious plant (damn the spell checkers for making me constantly check ...).  This means that there are separate male and female plants.  The flowers are white but very small and easy to ignore.  

Fun Fact:  The Arawak referred to wooden frames for roasting meat as buccan, so when Europeans showed up and started curing meats this way (often with wood from this plant) they became known as boucaniers ...which later became buccaneers.  Arg matey! A bit of random pirate in this plant there be!