Sowing months
May–Jun
Sunlight
Deep shade
Water
Constant moisture
Mature size
1.5–3 m
First harvest
Capsules year four
Family
Zingiberaceae
Where it grows
ground
Good for
food
Sow in
monsoon
Care
Grown under alder shade in Sikkim for good reason.
Black cardamom of Sikkim — deep shade under alder, at hill altitudes.
Growing it
Grown under alder shade in Sikkim for good reason.
What it is for
Badi elaichi; a shaded hill cash crop.