Piment flower in Uaxactún, north of Tikal National Park, Guatemala Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world. The name allspice was coined as early as 1621 by the English, who valued it as a spice that combined the flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Several unrelated fragrant shrubs are called "Carolina allspice" (Calycanthus floridus), "Japanese allspice" (Chimonanthus praecox), or "wild allspice" (Lindera benzoin).
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Pimenta dioica across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
🍽 Used in cookingHerbs and Spices🌿 Spice
Compound class profile5 classes
Aminoacids67
Cinnamic acids and derivatives62
Glycerophospholipids57
Purine nucleos(t)ides26
Monosaccharides25
Documented compounds5 867 total
Compound
Class
Amount
Source
EUGENOL
792,400 ppm
DukesPhytochem
CARBOHYDRATE
757,000 ppm
DukesPhytochem
FIBER
179,000 ppm
DukesPhytochem
PROTEIN
134,000 ppm
DukesPhytochem
ASH
89,000 ppm
DukesPhytochem
EO
50,000 ppm
DukesPhytochem
FAT
41,000 ppm
DukesPhytochem
EUGENOL-METHYL-ETHER
22,500 ppm
DukesPhytochem
05DNA & barcoding17 specimens
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Pimenta dioica has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens17
Marker genes6
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections11
Countries4
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★matK3★rbcL4★rbcLa★ITS3★ITS2trnH-psbA
plant barcodefungal barcodemarker
06Genome at a glanceCCDB · GoaT
The complete instruction manualPimenta dioica carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size271 884 000 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
THIS GENOME Pimenta dioica0.27 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
How far back this lineage goes — and how we know. Everything here is measured in Ma, short for “mega-annum”: millions of years ago. The chart reads left to right like a calendar of the Earth, from the deep past on the left to today at the right edgetop to bottom like a core drilled through the Earth, from the deep past at the top down to today at the bottom.
At a glance
DNA clock origin33.8 Ma TimeTree
When this lineage existed
How to read this: the coloured strip along the bottomdown the left is the geological calendar — the standard epochs (Pliocene, Pleistocene…) every museum uses, shown so you can see which chapter of Earth's history this lineage lived in. This lineage is a young one, so the strip is zoomed in to epochs — the finer subdivisions inside a period. The orange marker is the DNA clock: DNA accumulates mutations at a roughly steady rate, so comparing this species' DNA with its relatives estimates when the lineage split off — independently of any fossil.
DNA clock origin
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type1 341 records
Wild obs. + sensor272
Museum / vouchered1 048
Cultivated / captive1
Other20
Origin
Native9
Introduced5
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO2 536 km²
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy83% within 1 km
≤100 m 141≤1 km 35≤10 km 20>10 km 17
213 georeferenced · 59 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor272
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy95% within 1 km
≤100 m 562≤1 km 20≤10 km 22>10 km 8
612 georeferenced · 436 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence1 048
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Coordinate accuracy0% within 1 km
≤10 km 1
1 georeferenced
Open the mapnot free-living1
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions51 of 88 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Durango, MX
225
Tapachula, MX
165
Saint Louis, US
109
Mexico City, MX
87
Mexico City, MX
59
Mérida, MX
41
Chapingo, MX
25
Bronx, US
21
ASUlocation not on record
19
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (MNCR)location not on record
15
Austin, US
13
Tampa, US
12
Antiguo Cuscatlán, SV
11
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
10
Mexico City, MX
10
National Biodiversity Institute, Costa Ricalocation not on record
9
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, MX
9
San Francisco de Campeche, MX
8
Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Región Xalapalocation not on record
8
Miami, US
7
Chicago, US
6
San Francisco, US
6
St. Augustine, TT
6
Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabascolocation not on record
6
Guatemala City, GT
5
León, NI
5
BISHlocation not on record
5
Montecillo, Texcoco, MX
5
Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record
5
Berlin, DE
5
Edinburgh, GB
4
San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record
4
San José, CR
4
Honolulu, US
4
Riverside, US
4
NHMJlocation not on record
3
Rotorua, NZ
3
MEXUlocation not on record
3
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Biologialocation not on record
3
UFRRJlocation not on record
3
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, MX
3
NO DISPONIBLElocation not on record
3
South Kensington, GB
3
Florida Museum of Natural History- Zoology, Paleontology & Paleobotanylocation not on record
3
Mérida, MX
3
JBRJlocation not on record
2
Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record
2
San Diego, US
2
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
2
Oskarshamn, SE
2
Seropédica, BR
2
University of Zhejianglocation not on record
2
Cambridge, US
2
Auckland, NZ
2
Durban, ZA
2
Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record
2
CASlocation not on record
2
Austin, US
2
Chicago, US
2
Wlocation not on record
2
arosemena tola, EC
1
BMlocation not on record
1
Tlalnepantla, MX
1
Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (IAvH)location not on record
1
Vancouver, CA
1
Ciudad de México, MX
1
Federal University of Espírito Santolocation not on record
1
UERJlocation not on record
1
Ilhéus, BR
1
CEPLAClocation not on record
1
UNICAMPlocation not on record
1
Kew, GB
1
Denver, US
1
Seychelles National Herbariumlocation not on record
1
Pretoria, ZA
1
Chapel Hill, US
1
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural Historylocation not on record
1
Gujarat Biodiversity Gene Banklocation not on record
1
Brasília, BR
1
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)location not on record
1
UFBAlocation not on record
1
La Paz, MX
1
LDlocation not on record
1
University of California at Berkeleylocation not on record
1
Calabar, NG
1
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record
1
UFESlocation not on record
1
Fort Worth, US
1
88 institutions · 1 025 of 1 048 vouchered records shown · 22 without an institution code
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
09Environmental DNA11 detections
Where the DNA of Pimenta dioica was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found11
Studies independent surveys1
Countries4
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 11 detections have coordinates
Open the map4 countries0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median22.3 °C 14.4–26.8
Seasonal swing summer↔winter6.60 °C
Max temp (day)25.3 °C 17.7–31.0
Min temp (night)19.8 °C 11.0–23.1
Precipitation140 mm/mo 84.7–420
Air humidity63.5 % 59.0–69.8
Moisture balance7.30 mm/mo -55.5–283
Vapour deficit1,005 Pa 585–1,236
Wind speed2.60 m/s 1.60–4.10
Cloud cover28.3 % 20.3–45.5
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 6 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation17 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility1 341 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI11 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics17 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
dukesphytochemcompounds
FooDBThe Metabolomics Innovation Centrecompounds↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
WikidataWikimedia Foundationstructured facts↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗