Horticulture of Nutmeg: Germination, Propagation and Cultivation

The living collection of plants in the nutmeg family, Myristicaceae, has been increasing at the Botanic Garden of Delft University of Technology (Delft BG) since 2001. Horticultural and research staff there have been exploring the horticultural requirements, molecular structure and chemical composition of these plants since then. This paper comments on the historical importance of this family and the processes required to acquire live plant material. In recent years the significance of the mycorrhizal associations formed by the family and the consequences for their cultivation have been identified and these are described here along with the most effective methods of propagation as identified by staff at Delft BG.