Green vs Black Cardamom: Species, Names and Labels for Buyers

Put the botanical name on the specification, because the word cardamom and its colour words do not settle the plant. In the food rules read for this guide, cardamom without a qualifier is Elettaria cardamomum: 21 CFR 182.10 lists "Cardamom (cardamon)" against "Elettaria cardamomum Maton." (eCFR version of 6 October 2026), and Malaysia's Food Regulations 1985 define cardamom as "the dried, almost ripe fruit of the plant Elettaria cardamomum" (English text updated until August 2026). Other plants carry the name too. Malaysia defines "Cardamom amomum" from Amomum subulatum, and a US Environmental Protection Agency crop table lists "Cardamom, black" against the genus Amomum. This guide covers which plants the texts name, the local names in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia and New Zealand, the forms they describe, how labels name cardamom, and what to ask a supplier.

Which Plants Do Official Texts Name as Cardamom?

Elettaria cardamomum. Besides the US and Malaysian texts above, Indonesia's BPOM Regulation 13 of 2023 on food categories defines kapulaga as a spice obtained from the dried ripe fruit of the plant Elettaria cardamomum (our translation). Singapore's National Parks Board (NParks) Flora & Fauna Web record, last updated 30 July 2022, names the plant Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton, family Zingiberaceae, with the common names "Cardamom, True Cardamom", native distribution "India" and local status "Non-native (Horticultural / Cultivated Only)".

Amomum subulatum. Regulation 293 of Malaysia's Food Regulations 1985 reads: "Cardamom amomum shall be the dried, almost ripe fruit of the plant Amomum subulatum in the form of capsule." BPOM Regulation 13 of 2023 has an entry headed "Kapulaga (Cardamom) Amomum", defined as a spice obtained from the ripened and dried fruit of the plant Amomum subulatum (our translation).

Green and black. Of the texts read for this guide, only one uses these words to name kinds of cardamom: Crop Group 26, the Spice Group, in 40 CFR 180.41 (eCFR version of 7 October 2026). Its tables "are to be used in conjunction with § 180.40 to establish crop group tolerances" for pesticide residues, so it groups commodities for that purpose and does not define cardamom. Its cardamom rows read:

• "Cardamom, black", Amomum spp.
• "Cardamom, Ethiopian", Aframomum corrorima (A. Braun) P. C. M. Jansen.
• "Cardamom, green", Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton.
• "Cardamom, Nepal", Amomum subulatum Roxb. and A. aromaticum Roxb.
• "Cardamom-amomum", Amomum compactum Sol. ex Maton.
• "Malabar cardamom", Amomum villosum Lour.

The black row names only the genus, and Amomum subulatum sits in its own row as Nepal cardamom. In 21 CFR 182.10, the only Amomum we found is grains of paradise, Amomum melegueta; the table has no row for Amomum subulatum. We make no claim about how US rules treat it.

How Do the Names Differ Across Markets?

Malaysia. The Malay text of the Food Regulations 1985 heads regulation 290 "Pelaga" and regulation 293 "Pelaga besar", which means large cardamom (our translation), where the English text says "Cardamom amomum". The seed and powder regulations follow the same pattern: "Biji pelaga" and "Serbuk pelaga" for Elettaria cardamomum, "Biji pelaga besar" and "Serbuk pelaga besar" for Amomum subulatum.

Indonesia. The word kapulaga is attached to more than one Latin name. In BPOM Regulation 13 of 2023, kapulaga is Elettaria cardamomum, while a separate entry, Kapulaga Lokal, is defined from the fruit of the local kapulaga plant, Amomum cardamomum L. (our translation). The same regulation's list of raw materials gives Elettaria cardamomum the common names "Kapulaga/ Kapol Domba" and "Kapulaga/ Kapulaga Sabrang", and prints Amomum cardamomum L. among that species' other names or synonyms (our translation). The Ministry of Health's Farmakope Herbal Indonesia, second edition (2017), defines buah kapulaga as the fruit of Amomum compactum Sol. ex Maton, family Zingiberaceae (our translation). Its foreword calls the book a standard in the field of pharmacy, mainly for raw materials of traditional medicine (our translation), so it is used here only as a naming reference. A document that says kapulaga therefore needs a Latin name beside it.

Thailand. The Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) open-data list of community product standards (dataset metadata modified 19 September 2025) gives standard 547/2547 the Thai title ผลกระวานแห้ง and the English title "DRIED CARDOMOM", and standard 708/2547 the Thai title กระวานผงสำเร็จรูป and the English title "INSTANT CARDAMON POWDER" (both spellings as printed). The list files both in its beverages group (our translation), and the text of standard 547/2547 prints no botanical name. A Department of Agriculture research report on krawan production in eastern Thailand, describing work carried out in 2011, prints the Thai name กระวาน with the Latin name "Amomum krevanh Pierre." (spelling as printed) and says krawan is a plant of the genus Amomum (our translation).

Singapore. Beside the NParks record, the Singapore Food Agency's list of Chinese medicinal materials commonly used in food (as at November 2025), established by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and the Health Sciences Authority "to serve as a guide to the industry", lists Amomum villosum as "Villous amomum fruit", 砂仁, and Amomum tsao-ko as "Tsao-ko amomum", 草果, with fruit as the part used. The list applies "to the use of whole herbs or whole extracts in food". It does not use the word cardamom, although 40 CFR 180.41 calls Amomum villosum "Malabar cardamom".

Australia and New Zealand. Schedule 22 of the Food Standards Code, which describes foods and classes of foods for listed provisions of the Code (compilation No. 5, in force on 30 April 2026), lists "Cardamom (pods and seeds)" in the class "Spices, fruit or berry", without a botanical name.

Which Forms Do the Texts Describe?

Whole fruit, seed and powder. Malaysia's regulations 290 to 292 cover the whole fruit, "the dried seed obtained by separating the seed from the capsule", and "the powder obtained from the clean, dried seed separated from the capsule" of Elettaria cardamomum, and regulations 293 to 295 do the same for Amomum subulatum. Regulation 286 adds that "Spice may be dried or ground or both". BPOM Regulation 13 of 2023 has the same three forms for Elettaria cardamomum and for Amomum subulatum: kapulaga, biji kapulaga (seed) and kapulaga bubuk (powder) for Elettaria cardamomum, and the amomum, seed and powder entries for Amomum subulatum (our translation). Its Kapulaga Lokal entry describes the mature fruit with the fruit stalks removed, cleaned and dried (our translation).

The US definition of spice in 21 CFR 101.22(a)(2) includes the phrases "whole, broken, or ground form" and "true to name", among other conditions, and its list of examples spells the spice "Cardamon". Thai community product standard 547/2547 covers krawan fruit as dried pieces and as powder, which may be packed in paper sachets, for making drinks (our translation).

Trade classification. The "World Customs Organization" publication "Harmonized System Nomenclature 2022 Edition" places cardamoms in heading 09.08, "Nutmeg, mace and cardamoms.", with subheading 0908.31 for cardamoms "Neither crushed nor ground" and 0908.32 for "Crushed or ground".

International standards. ISO publishes ISO 882-1:1993, Part 1: Whole capsules, and ISO 882-2:1993, Part 2: Seeds, both titled for "Elettaria cardamomum (Linnaeus) Maton var. minuscula Burkill". The two catalogue entries published by Albania's national standards body each give a publication date of 25 March 1993 and record the standard as confirmed on 12 December 2025. We did not read the standards themselves. The variety name minuscula also appears among the synonyms in the NParks record and the BPOM raw-material row.

How Does Cardamom Appear on Labels?

In the United States, 21 CFR 101.22(h)(1) says spice "may be declared as “spice”" in the statement of ingredients. In Australia and New Zealand, Standard 1.2.4 (compilation No. 2, in force on 2 September 2025) says that, subject to Division 3 of Standard 1.2.3, a statement of ingredients must identify each ingredient other than offal by a name by which it is commonly known, a name that describes its true nature, or "a generic name for the ingredient that is specified in Schedule 10, in accordance with any conditions specified in that Schedule". Schedule 10 (compilation in force from 25 February 2021) lists "spices" as a generic name with no condition for use entered.

Thai standard 547/2547 requires every container to show at least the product name, with ผลกระวานแห้ง among the examples, the main ingredients and the net weight, among other details, and says any foreign-language text must have the same meaning as the Thai (our translation). That standard covers krawan fruit for drinks (our translation).

Because the US and Australian provisions allow a category name within their stated conditions, a finished-product label might not name the cardamom at all, let alone its species. Ask for the species on the specification and on each lot's certificate of analysis instead.

What Should You Ask a Cardamom Supplier?

• Botanical name. Ask for the full Latin name, with its author, on the specification and on each lot's certificate of analysis. Green, black, large, kapulaga, pelaga and กระวาน are not enough on their own.
• Indonesian documents. If a document says kapulaga or kapulaga lokal, ask which species was supplied: BPOM Regulation 13 of 2023 names Elettaria cardamomum for kapulaga and Amomum cardamomum L. for kapulaga lokal, and the herbal pharmacopoeia names Amomum compactum for buah kapulaga (our translation).
• Black cardamom. If an offer says black cardamom, ask for the species. The only text read for this guide that uses black cardamom as a name gives only the genus Amomum.
• Form. Ask whether the lot is whole capsules, seed separated from the capsule, or ground, and which definition it is written against, for example Malaysia's regulations 290 to 295 or the BPOM category 12.2.1 entries.
• Trade code. Ask for the HS subheading on the shipping documents, 0908.31 for cardamoms neither crushed nor ground or 0908.32 for crushed or ground, and check it matches the form ordered.
• Standards cited. If a specification cites ISO 882-1 or ISO 882-2, ask for the edition and the clauses relied on, and note that both titles name Elettaria cardamomum var. minuscula.

Are Green and Black Cardamom the Same Plant?

Not in the texts read for this guide. 40 CFR 180.41 lists "Cardamom, green" as Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton and "Cardamom, black" as Amomum spp. Malaysia's Food Regulations 1985 separately define cardamom from Elettaria cardamomum and "Cardamom amomum" from Amomum subulatum, without using the words green or black.

What Is Pelaga Besar?

Pelaga besar is the Malay heading of regulation 293 of Malaysia's Food Regulations 1985 (Malay text updated until August 2026), meaning large cardamom (our translation). The English text heads the same regulation "Cardamom amomum" and defines it as "the dried, almost ripe fruit of the plant Amomum subulatum in the form of capsule".

Does Kapulaga Always Mean Elettaria cardamomum?

No. BPOM Regulation 13 of 2023 uses kapulaga for Elettaria cardamomum and kapulaga lokal for Amomum cardamomum L., and Farmakope Herbal Indonesia (2017) uses buah kapulaga for the fruit of Amomum compactum Sol. ex Maton (our translation).

Which HS Code Covers Cardamom?

In the "Harmonized System Nomenclature 2022 Edition", cardamoms fall under heading 09.08: subheading 0908.31 if neither crushed nor ground, and 0908.32 if crushed or ground. This is the nomenclature published by the "World Customs Organization"; national tariff schedules were not checked.