Cowbright: Mahe, Seychelles

I enjoyed the boat ride through the bluest of blue water and the beautiful islands, but my favorite part of the day was our visit to the Le Jardin du Roi Spice Garden. As I mentioned earlier, I could have spent a whole lot more time there!

In the 18th century, the Seychelles were a hub for the spice trade. The garden we visited sits high above Anse Royale beach on Mahé's southeast coastline. Unfortunately, we didn't get to learn any history of the spice trade or visit the small onsite museum. Our guide seemed pretty stressed because he was worried about getting us back to the ship on time. So our time was short and we blew through it in a hurry.

In addition to our time limitation, he was a low talker with a strong accent. I had a hard time understanding most of what he said, even speaking to him one on one. But I managed to take photos of several plants and/or spices - some I knew about but most I didn't. When we arrived back at the port, I showed him some photos I had taken and he told me what they were. Armed with the names, I was able to google and learn a bit more. Perhaps you will see something in the photos that you haven't seen before, or at least not in its growing state.

welcome to the spice garden - Mahe, Seychelles

view from garden down to the ocean (Anse Royale beach)

a rare (yellow) lipstick tree

perhaps the ginger family? (thought it was pretty!)


peppercorns growing on tree

Black peppercorns are the dried fruit of the almost mature pepper berry (in fact all pepper is from the same plant, piper nigrum). They are usually sun dried, but can be oven dried, in a process that leaves the outer layer (the pericarp) oxidized and black. (thanks, Google)

spice garden residents

dove house

a medicinal plant (sorry, didn't get name)

apple blossoms

colorful bougainvillea

cinnamon tree

Above: leaves of cinnamon tree. We get our ground cinnamon from the bark. After planting a cinnamon tree, one has to wait a few years before cutting the bark. The first layer is cut away and the inner layer is peeled away and dried. These are called cinnamon quills or sticks. Cinnamon bark is also known as cassia bark. Cinnamon leaves can be used in a variety of dishes as well as in tea. It's my understanding that cinnamon has many health benefits.

guide holding nutmeg


nutmeg tree

I've seen and even grated nutmeg before, but never realized it was a seed (duh). Nutmeg grows on a dark leafy evergreen tree and produces 2 spices - nutmeg (from the seed) and mace (from the lacy covering of the seed). A nutmeg tree takes 8 years of growth before it begins to yield fruit. It will bear fruit for 60 years or more. Note: mace, the spice, is not related to the self defense aerosol spray.