What Are Dried, Ground, Buds, Bark, Seeds & Stems of Aromatic Plants Known As?

Flower Buds

• Cloves are dried flower bud spices from a species of myrtle tree. They are available as whole buds or ground into fine powder. Capers are flower buds from the caperbush, Capparis spinosa, which is native to the Mediterranean region. Commonly available in pickled form, capers are also preserved with salt or dried and ground. Lavender is one of the most fragrant of the aromatic herbs and has many uses. Dried flower buds add fragrance to sachets and potpourri and ground lavender lends flavor to culinary preparations.

Bark

• A renowned use of dried and ground bark is from willow trees. In the 1800s, Rev. Edward Stone of Oxford ground bark from willow trees and administered it to 50 people as a fever curative. Salicin, a compound in willow, was the effective ingredient. In 1899, the Bayer Company marketed a new product, called aspirin, from synthesized salicylic acid. Cinnamon is also a product of ground bark from Asian cinnamon trees and is cut into sticks or ground into powder.

Seeds

• Dried and ground spices, such as allspice, mustard, cumin and coriander, are cooking staples. Allspice is not a blend of different spices, but a berry from a Central American tree. It is a favorite spice in Jamaican cooking. Culinary mustard comes from ground mustard seeds but gets its familiar yellow color from turmeric, a powder ground from roots of a ginger family relative. Ground seeds from the cilantro plant give us coriander, a seasoning used to flavor Asian and Indian dishes.

Stems

• Basil is a popular aromatic herb that flavors many foods. Dried basil stems and leaves have a longer shelf life than fresh herbs. Chives, members of the onion family, have hollow stems with a mild onion or garlic flavor. Lemongrass stems, an ingredient in Thai food, grow in grassy clumps. It is added as a fresh herb while cooking, or dried and ground to powder and enjoyed as a spice. Parsley and chervil stems, favorite garnishes, are also dried and ground for culinary uses.