Elettaria cardamomum, commonly known as green or true cardamom, is a herbaceous, perennial plant in the ginger family, native to southern India. It is the most common of the species whose seeds are used as a spice called cardamom. It is cultivated widely in tropical regions and reportedly naturalized in Réunion, Indochina, and Costa Rica.

Green cardamom True cardamom
True cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) 1896 illustration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Zingiberaceae
Genus:	Elettaria
Species:	E. cardamomum
Binomial name
Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton
Synonyms
Amomum cardamomum L. Amomum repens Sonn., illegitimate superfluous name Amomum racemosum Lam., illegitimate superfluous name Alpinia cardamomum (L.) Roxb. Cardamomum officinale Salisb. Zingiber cardamomum (L.) Stokes Matonia cardamomum (L.) Stephenson & J.M.Churchill Cardamomum verum Oken, illegitimate superfluous name Elettaria repens Baill., illegitimate superfluous name Elettaria cardamomum var. minor Watt, not validly published Cardamomum elletari Garsault, rejected name Zingiber minus Gaertn. Amomum ensal Raeusch. Amomum uncinatum Stokes Cardamomum malabaricum Pritz. Cardamomum minus (Gaertn.) Kuntze Elettaria cardamomum var. minuscula Burkill, without description