Veget Hist Archaeobot (2003) 12:249–252 DOI 10.1007/s00334-003-0023-6 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Monika Badura Pimenta officinalis Lindl. (pimento, myrtle pepper) from early modern latrines in Gdańsk (northern Poland) Received: 8 January 2003 / Accepted: 30 September 2003 / Published online: 5 November 2003
Springer-Verlag 2003 Abstract Fruits, seeds and embryos of Pimenta officinalis Lindl. syn. Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae) have been found in Gdańsk (northern Poland) in latrines dated to the 18th century. This is one of the first few records of allspice from European archaeobotanical material. The paper presents morphological criteria used for the identification of allspice or myrtle pepper remains and briefly summarises the information on the introduction of this species to the Old World. species growing on a wide range of soil types (Clay and Hubbard 1974; Broschat and Meerow 1991). Macroscopic remains of Pimenta officinalis are almost unknown from archaeobotanical materials in Europe. The only known finds of allspice are from an 18th century pit fill at 4–12 Norton Folgate in London (Giorgi 1997). The aim of the present paper is to present the new archaeobotanical record of allspice supplemented by a description of the morphological features that can be used for determination of fossil fruits, seeds and embryos. Keywords Archaeobotany · Pimenta officinalis Lindl. · Latrine · Gdańsk · Poland History and use Introduction During the late medieval and early modern periods several exotic herbs and spices were introduced into Europe. One of them was Pimenta officinalis (allspice, myrtle pepper). Pimenta officinalis Lindl. syn. Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (fam. Myrtaceae) is a species native to Central America. It occurs wild in the West Indies (Antilles), Cuba and southern Mexico, and probably in Haiti and Costa Rica. At present it is cultivated in many areas of the tropics (Adams 1972; Meade 1996). Allspice is a small tree (6–12 m tall) with a smooth trunk which is a mottled tan after it peels. The leaves are large (6–16 cm long, 3–6 cm wide), dark green, pointed, oblong and leathery. The white flowers are 6–10 mm wide, with a four-lobed calyx, borne in many-flowered pyramidal cymes originating from the leaf axils. The fruit is a brown berry-like drupe, about 0.5 cm long (Meade 1996; PIER 2003). Pimenta officinalis grows in both dry and moist forests as well as in open areas up to about 1,100 m a.s.l. It is a heliophilous and drought-tolerant M. Badura ()) Laboratory of Palaeoecology and Archaeobotany, Department of Plant Ecology, University of Gdańsk, Al. Legionw 9, PL 80-441 Gdańsk, Poland e-mail: dokmb@univ.gda.pl According to written sources (Greig 1996), allspice was a rather popular spice in the early modern period in Europe. It started to be imported soon after the discovery of the New World, probably by the Spaniards around the 16th century (Giorgi 1997; Katzer 2003). The first written record of the import of Pimenta to Europe is dated to 1601, when Carolus Clusius (1526–1609), one of the fathers of pharmacognosis, received the plant from Jamaica (Hunger 1927/1942). Because it is a tropical plant, its cultivation in Europe may have been ephemeral only (Hawkes 1998). Today Pimenta officinalis is imported mostly from Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico (Rhem and Espig 1991). Allspice comes by its name because its berries have an aroma and flavour that resembles cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Both the leaves and berries yield volatile oils that are economically valued (Schery 1972; Clarke 1994). The unripe, dried fruits are used as a culinary spice. During the period from the 1600s to the 1800s, sailors used allspice berries to preserve meat on long voyages and to get rid of the smell of putrefying food. Many Jamaican and West Indian recipes for stews, meat and fish include the use of freshly preserved berries. In the old recipes from the 18th century we can find recommendations to add this spice to flavour chocolate. Now allspice is used in pickles, ketchup and sausages. The leaves, which have the fragrance of cloves, produce oil that is distilled and 250 added to bay rum, the shaving lotion produced from the bay rum tree (Coe and Coe 1996; Vaughan and Geissler 2001). Archaeological and archaeobotanical context Remains of Pimenta officinalis were found in two latrine fills (nos. 3260 and 3300) at Rajska Street (ulica Rajska) in Gdańsk (zone 0255/39/04, lots 15H and 19H). The investigated samples were taken from the layers dated by archaeological material to the 18th century (Szyszka and Krzywdziński in press). The sediment was preserved under waterlogged conditions. In the past, Rajska street was part of the main trade route leading from the south of Poland through Gdańsk in the direction of Kołobrzeg and Szczecin (northwest Poland) (Zbierski 1978). In the 18th century, rich citizens inhabited this area. The wealth of this part of town is shown by two components of the material culture: pottery and buildings (Szyszka and Krzywdziński in press; Szyszka, personal communication). The botanical composition of the archaeobotanical material was typical of latrine fills and similar among samples. Most of the macrofossils were from edible plants such as Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry), Fragaria vesca (strawberry), Pyrus communis (pear), Malus sp. (apple), Cerasus avium (cherry), Anethum graveolens (dill), and Carum carvi (caraway). Among these, some exotic species were noted, and, in addition to Pimenta officinalis, remains of Vitis vinifera (grape), Ficus carica (fig), Oryza sativa (rice) and Piper nigrum (pepper) were found. Description of Pimenta officinalis remains The archaeobotanical evidence concerning allspice is very poor. Although the fruits of Pimenta officinalis are very characteristic and easy to identify, the identification of seeds may cause some problems especially as no descriptions of seeds have been given by archaeobotanists. Consequently, the recent find of fruits and especially seeds and embryos of P. officinalis from Old Gdańsk is noteworthy. In this case the identification of allspice remains was easier because complete fruits and seeds were found in the same samples. In total, six fruits, 21 complete and four fragments of seeds and two embryos were found. Material was well preserved in subfossil state under waterlogged conditions. Fruits: The modern fruits (berries) are rounded (Fig. 1A). The subfossil fruits were also rounded, but because of the way of preservation (wet deposit) they were asymmetrical (Fig. 2A, B). They varied in length between 3.8–4.6 mm and in width 3.5–5.0 mm (Table 1). They were black and wrinkled, with a shiny surface. The remnants of a flower cup were Fig. 1 Pimenta officinalis. A Vertical cross section of fruit: a remnants of flower cup; b mesocarp; c placenta; d seed; B seed, lateral view; C seed, view on the flat side; D embryo Table 1 Size of subfossil remains of Pimenta officinalis (Gdańsk, ul. Rajska, 0255/39/04, 18th century) Number of samples Fruit Length (mm) 3 (15H/3260/3262/3) 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.2 4 (15H/3260/3262/12) 11 (19H/3300/36) 3.9 3.8 - Seeds: Seed Embryo Width (mm) Diameter (mm) Diameter (mm) 4.5 5.0 4.7 4.3 3.6 3.5 - 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.6 4.3 4.2 3.5 4.6 4.0 2.9 3.5 4.1 3.9 3.2 3.8 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.9 - preserved on the top and the remnants of a flower stalk at the base of the fruits. The fruit case contains two dark, kidneyshaped seeds (Fig. 1A). In the fossil material in a few cases the seeds were still present inside the fruit chambers or were found still attached to the remnants of placenta (Fig. 2C). The seeds are half-circular, with one side flat and the other convex (Figs. 1B, C and 2D, E). The seeds were 2.9–4.6 mm in diameter (Table 1), most of them were preserved with fragments of seed coat. The testa was almost black, shiny and wrinkled. In a few cases the seeds were 251 Fig. 2 Pimenta officinalis. A, B Fruit with remnants of flower cup; C seeds with remnants of placenta: a convex side; b flat side; c placenta; D seed, view on the convex side; E seed, view on the flat side; F embryos; G surface of embryo. Scale: 1 mm transparent, almost without any coat, and the embryos were visible. Embryos: The black embryo was spirally curved (Figs. 1D and 2F). The surface was rather rough with hard points (Fig. 2G). The size of embryos was between 3.9 and 4.0 mm in diameter. walls show porous channels. The mesocarp is characterised by many oxalate crystals. The cells of the outer skin of seeds are narrow longitudinal in shape. The parenchymatic layer contains typical reddish-brown inclusions. The inner skin is similar to the outer skin. In the present study, the determination of the allspice remains did not involve the analysis of tissues. However, according to Moeller and Griebel (1928) and Gassner and Bothe (1989) even small fragments of the fruit skin and the seed coat can be identified by investigating their anatomical features. A thin section of Pimenta fruit skin showed a ring of large oil vessels placed immediately below the epidermis and several stone cells distributed across the transverse section (Fig. 3). The epidermis is small-celled, with stomata and hairs on the surface. The inner part of the parenchymatic cell layer has larger cells and is sclerotic. The stone cells vary in size and form; the Conclusion Fruits, seeds and embryos of Pimenta officinalis have been found in Gdańsk (northern Poland) in latrines dated to the 18th century. Although many archaeobotanists investigate early modern latrines and cesspits, it is one of the first few records of allspice from European archaeobotanical material. The lack of finds of remains of this spice is probably because they have been overlooked. This paper presents criteria that can be used to determine allspice remains. 252 References Fig. 3 Pimenta officinalis. Vertical cross section of a fruit skin; a epidermis; b oil vessel; c stone cells. [After Gassner and Bothe (1989)] Acknowledgements I am indebted to Małgorzata Latałowa for her help and valuable suggestions, to Tomasz S. Olszewski for making the drawings, and to Julian Wiethold for reading the manuscript and help with the German references. Adams CD (1972) Flowering plants of Jamaica. Robert MacLehose. The University Press, Glasgow Broschat TK, Meerow AW (1991) Betrock’s reference guide to Florida landscape plants. Betrock Information Systems, Cooper City, Florida Clarke MW (1994) Herbs and spices. 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