The flowers of Monodora myristica look very much like those of an orchid and the fruit is a nearly spherical drupe about the same size as an orange.
The seeds and seed coats of the plant are used as a spice.
The fruit contains a number of these aromatic seeds embedded in a yellow pulp.
The seeds and their seed coat are removed and dried giving a heart-shaped spice some 3cm long and 2cm broad at its widest part.
Once dried these have an aroma reminiscent of nutmeg.
Calabash nutmeg has a nutmeg-like flavour with a pungent overtone.
The whole seed coat and seed is either ground and used as a seasoning for West African soups or stews or is ground and used as a nutmeg-like flavouring in cakes and desserts.
It is generally pounded to a fine powder and used as both a thickener and a flavouring for traditional Nigerian stews.