Nutmeg - a valuable spice: Reading answers

The nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans, is a large evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia.Until the late 18th century, it only grew in one place in the world: a small group of islands in the Banda Sea, part of the Moluccas - or Spice Islands - in northeastern Indonesia.The tree is thickly branched with dense foliage of tough, dark green oval leaves, and produces small, yellow, bell-shaped flowers and pale yellow pear-shaped fruits.The fruit is encased in a fleshy husk.When the fruit is ripe, this husk splits into two halves along a ridge running the length of the fruit.Inside is a purple-brown shiny seed, 2-3 cm long by about 2 cm across, surrounded by a lacy red or crimson covering called an…