BP Singh

Priorities for Promising Plant Introductions 101used in medicines and in preparation of mint tea; spearmint(M. spicata) used for culinary purposes are popular throughout theworld specially in Egypt and several European countries. Ocimumsp., main centres of diversity are Africa, South America (Brazil) andAsia which are potential source of oil rich in camphor, geraniol,linalool, linalyl acetate, methyl chavicol, eugenol and thymol forsuccessful utilization in industry. Egypt, France, Italy, USA andWest Germany are major sources for assembling diverse germplasm.Sweet majoran (Majorana hortensis) is cultivated throughout Europeand mediterranean region as well as north and south America.France, Egypt and Chili are the major exporters in the world. Ammimajus is indigenous to Egypt and widely distributed in. Europe,mediterranean region, Abyssinica and West Africa; Rosemary(Rosmarium officinalis) grows wild throughout the mediterraneanarea whereas France, Spain, Portugal are the major source ofgermplasm; Sage (Salvia officinalis) is native to mediterraneanregion but most common in Yugoslavia and Albania; Celery(Apium graveolens) native to Europe extends from Sweden toAlgeria, Egypt, Abyssinia and in Asia from the Caucasus toBaluchistan and mountains of India. European dill (Anethumgraveolens) culinary herb extensively grows in India and Europe ,foruse as aromatic stimulant in Ayurvedic and Unani medicines.Centres of Diversity in Spices and CondimentsWild related taxa of major spices reported from the Indiansub continent and from the Western Ghats forest area in southIndia (Arora et aI., 1984). Sl,lb mountaneous tracts of Western Ghatsin India is believed to be the centre of diversity of black pepper.From this centre, it is believed to have spread tQ the other peppergrowing countries in south east Asia including Thailand, Malaysia,Indonesia, Philippines and Sri Lanka.Cardamon (Elettaria cardamomum) : It occurs in the evergreenforests of Western Ghats and' also in Sri Lanka. Guatemala andTanzania are other important cardamon growing countries fromwhere germplasm can be obtained for utilization in breedingprograrrune. Clove (Eugenia caryophyllus) indigenous to MoluccasIslands in Indonesia (Purseglove, 1977). Nutmeg (Myristica Jragrans)is indigenous to the eastern Islands of Moluccas (Indonesia ) andits nearest relative M. argentea is cultivated in some part of NewGuinea (Sinclair, 1958); Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is native