SC - I am So Ashamed! (long)

[Nick Sasso]

Christine A Seelye-King wrote:
> 
> An interesting definition of the difference between herbs and spices, but
> not the one I use.  Herbs are the leaves or flowers of a plant, spices
> are everything else - bark, roots, rhizomes, seeds, seed pods, etc.
> Christianna

It is a paraphrase of something I read here.  Perhaps someone with the
OED can give more to our definition.  This is from the Britannica
Encyclopedia:

  ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA

 spice and herb 

 dried parts of various plants cultivated for their aromatic, pungent,
or otherwise
 desirable substances. Spices and herbs consist of rhizomes, bulbs,
barks, flower buds,
 stigmas, fruits, seeds, and leaves. They are commonly spoken of loosely
as spices,
 spice seeds, and herbs. Spices are the highly esteemed, fragrant or
pungent plant
 products of tropical and subtropical regions, the dominant species of
the trade
 including cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper. Spice seeds
are the tiny
 aromatic fruits and oily seeds of herbaceous plants including anise,
caraway, cumin,
 fennel, poppy, and sesame. Herbs are the fragrant leaves of such plants
as marjoram,
 mint, rosemary, and thyme. Spices, spice seeds, and herbs are employed
as adjuncts
 to impart flavour and aroma or piquancy to foods. In the small
quantities used to
 prepare culinary dishes they have little or no nutritive value, but
they stimulate the
 appetite, add zest to food, enhance the taste, and delight the gourmet.
. . . END

Maybe the herbs are classically from sub-tropical to temperate zones?

niccolo difrancesco