Nutmeg is the dried seed of the fruit of an evergreen. Warm and sweet, nutmeg adds depth to desserts and savory dishes alike. Sprinkle it on your eggnog, but try it on your potatoes, too! Botanical name: Myristica fragrans Houtt. , Myristica fragransMace and nutmeg both come from the fruit of Myristica fragrans, an aromatic evergreen that grows to 66 feet, with dark green leaves, aromatic flowers, and large, brownish/yellow fruit. The female trees produce the fleshy fruit that splits in half once mature. The bright red, lacy covering (the aril) is harvested as mace, while the seeds are used for nutmeg. Nutmegs can be harvested when the trees are 7 to 9 years old, and the tree reaches full harvest maturity after about 20 years. While M. fragrans is generally the preferred spice, two other species of nutmeg are grown--and sometimes used as adulterants. They are M. argentea or Papuan nutmeg, which is grown in New Guinea, and M. malabarica or Bombay nutmeg, which is grown in India. Imagine the streets spiced with nutmegs and other aromatics. In 1191, that"s just what happened when the streets of Rome were prepared for the coronation of Henry VI. Nutmeg was prized in Elizabethan times for its reputed ability to fight the plague. In fact, legend has it that in England a few nutmegs could once be sold at a price that would render a person financially secure for life!