Allspice (pimienta gorda)

Pimenta dioica

One berry tastes of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg; the leaves season jerk and soups.

Type: small tree · tropical and subtropical food plants
Hardiness: zones 10 to 12
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 30 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Harvest: March to July
From: Caribbean and Central America
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food, pollinators.

Native to: Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean. Hardy in zones 10 to 12.

The story

Allspice is the only major spice native to the Americas; the Maya used it to embalm their dead and flavour chocolate, and the Taíno and later Jamaicans smoked meat over its wood, the origin of jerk. Columbus mistook it for pepper, hence pimienta. Jamaica still grows most of the world's crop.

Planting

Full sun or part shade, drained, rich soil, heat; frost-free. Plant male and female or a self-fertile selection; a slow evergreen tree to 30 feet.

Growing

Water young trees and mulch; prune to keep it in reach. The fragrant leaves can be used as you wait for berries, five years or more.

Harvest and use

Pick the berries green and full-sized in summer, then sun-dry until brown and rattling; grind fresh. Leaves season stews like bay.

What to watch for

Rust on leaves in wet climates; frost.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home