Cloves are the unopened flowers of a small evergreen tree that
resembles, in appearance, the laurel or the bay. Each clove consists of
two parts, a round head, which is the four petals or leaves of the
flowers rolled up, enclosing a number of small stalks or filaments. The
other part of the clove is terminated with four points, and is, in fact,
the flower-cup, and the unripe seed-vessel. All these parts may be
distinctly shown if a few leaves are soaked for a short time in hot
water, when the leaves of the flowers soften, and readily unroll.