Sikotok

Part of the genetic diversity preserved at the centre of clove origin. Reportedly produces smaller buds with excellent oil quality. Important for understanding clove domestication and breeding.

Key facts

Figures are indicative, compiled from public agricultural sources (ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, the Spices Board and the National Innovation Foundation) and vary with soil, season and management. Confirm with your local package of practices.

Sikotok in detail

A cultivated landrace clove from Indonesia's Spice Islands with small, aromatic buds—part of the genetic foundation of clove diversity at the crop's centre of origin.

Origin & story

Sikotok is one of thirteen local clove accessions documented across North Maluku Province (on islands including Ternate, Tidore, Halmahera, Moti, Bacan, and Kasiruta). It belongs to the cultivated type of clove (Syzygium aromaticum), maintained by indigenous growers of the Maluku Islands, where cloves have been cultivated for over two thousand years. The Maluku Islands are the native centre of origin for clove, and Sikotok represents part of this genetic heritage, preserved by local farmers.

How it grows

Clove grows best in the volcanic soils and tropical climate of the Maluku Islands. Trees generally reach productive maturity after several years and yields vary considerably by tree age, morphotype, and cultivation practice. In North Maluku, cloves are commonly grown in mixed agroforestry systems. Sikotok, as a cultivated type, is reputed for strong aroma, a trait associated with the eugenol-rich volatile oil that gives clove its quality.

Quality & character

Sikotok produces noticeably smaller buds than commercial varieties such as Zanzibar. It sits within the cultivated group of Maluku clove accessions identified in morphological studies of the region's diversity. Despite the reduced bud size, the variety is reputed for concentrated oil and intense aroma. Clove buds are generally rich in volatile oil, of which eugenol is by far the dominant compound and the main determinant of quality.

Why it matters to buyers

High eugenol content is the primary quality marker for buyers in perfumery, pharmaceuticals, and food applications, and cultivated clove types are characteristically aromatic. In international trade, cloves are graded under ISO 2254 into hand-picked superior (CG-1), clean (CG-2), and standard (CG-3) grades, distinguished mainly by hand-picking and by limits on stems, headless cloves, undersized buds, and extraneous matter. A smaller-budded variety like Sikotok involves a trade-off: it may concentrate aroma but can reduce total weight yield per tree, making it most attractive to buyers prioritising oil content and aroma over volume. Indonesian cloves from the Maluku centre of origin are widely regarded as high quality in the global market.

Other clove varieties

• Kanniyakumari Clove
• Local South Indian homestead type
• Zanzibar type
• Penang type
• Siputih
• Idukki High-Altitude clove
• Tenkasi-Puliyangudi clove
• Nilgiris blue-mountain clove
• Madagascar type
• Sri Lankan type
• Indigenous Western Ghats mixed-homestead clove
• Seedling clove (unselected)