Cloves, used as a spice, are derived from which of the following plant parts ?

Cloves are the dried, aromatic, unopened flower buds of the Syzygium aromaticum tree, an evergreen species native to the Maluku Islands [c1][t1][t9]. The spice is harvested when the buds transition from green to a bright pink or red color, just before the flowers bloom [t5][t8]. These buds are then sun-dried until they turn dark brown and resemble small, round-headed nails [t2][t9]. Botanically, the spice consists of a long ovary with four small triangular sepals and four unopened petals forming a central ball [t7][t8]. It is important to distinguish the culinary spice from the actual fruit or seeds of the tree; the fruit is a dark purple oblong drupe containing a single seed used primarily for propagation, whereas the spice sold globally is strictly the flower bud [t5][t6].

Sources

1. [1] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) > p. 65
2. [2] https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/1/3154
3. [3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/clove