Zingiber zerumbet
(L.) Roscoe ex Smith
Wild ginger, Pine cone ginger, Fragrant ginger
(c) Alex Abair, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alex Abair
(c) Lori A Owenby, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Lori A Owenby
no rights reserved, uploaded by Daniel Estabrooks
What to Eat
Edible parts: Rhizomes, Root, Leaves, Flowers
The rhizome and leaves are eaten as a vegetable or used as flavoring in cooking, including in chutneys. The flowers are fried and eaten as a vegetable.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in tropical Asia. It occurs in coastal areas in the Philippines. It is most common in damp open forest. It suits seasonally moist and dry climates. It needs a fertile, organically-rich, well-drained soil. It grows in S China. It suits hardiness zones 8-12. In Yunnan.
American Samoa, Andaman Is., Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Caribbean, China, Chuuk, East Timor, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marquesas, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Indies,
How to Identify
An upright clumpy ginger family herb up to 0.4-1 m high. The rhizome is thick and yellow. The stems are stout. The leaves do not have a leaf stalk. Leaves are broadly sword shaped. The base is narrowed. They taper to the tip. The leaves are shorter and fatter than true ginger. They are 15-40 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. The flower cone is also longer and thinner than true ginger. The flower comes from the rhizome and is cone shaped and 6-15 cm long by 3.5-5 cm wide. The stalk is 10-30 cm long. The sheaths are scale like. The bracts are green when young and red when old. The fruit is a capsule which is 0.8-1.2 cm across. The seeds are black.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves | — | — | — | — | 19 | — | — | — |
How to Grow
It mostly grows wild in regrowth forest. It can be grown from sections of the rhizome.
Medicinal Uses
The rhizome and leaves are used in traditional medicine and magic.
Other Uses
An essential oil obtained from the rhizome is used to perfume soap and other toilet articles. The dried rhizome is ground into a powder and used as a perfume.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Zingiber zerumbet is a species of plant in the ginger family with leafy stems growing to about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall. It originates from Asia, but can be found in many tropical countries. Common names include: awapuhi (from Hawaiian: ʻawapuhi spelled with an ʻokina, doublet of ʻawa), bitter ginger, shampoo ginger, lempoyang (from Malay) and pinecone ginger. The rhizomes of Z. zerumbet are used as food flavoring and appetizers in various cuisines, and the rhizome extracts have been used in herbal medicine.
Other Information
In Papua New Guinea this is a quite common plant but only a minor food plant. It is cultivated plant.
Notes
There are about 100-150 Zingiber species.
Names & Synonyms
'Avapui, Awapuhi, Bitter ginger, Drove, Hong qiu jiang, Karpooraharidra, Karrallamu, Kattinji, Katu, Kra tue, Lampoyang, Lampuyang pahit, Lempoyang, Lempuyang emprit, Lempuyang gajah, Lempuyang wangi, Linne-gyi, Martinique ginger, Narkachur, Phtu, Phtue, Phrilang dung, Poloi, Red pinecone, Shampoo ginger, Vorek hanso, Zerumbet ginger
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