Zingiber spectabile
Griff.
Beehive ginger, Pinecone ginger, Golden-shampoo ginger, Nodding gingerwort
(c) mamolins, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by mamolins
(c) Julio Campis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Julio Campis
(c) Kari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Rhizome, Root, Spice
The rhizome is used as a flavoring and can be prepared as a spice.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It suits seasonally moist and dry climates. It needs fertile, organically-rich, well-drained soils. It does well in bright shade. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. Cairns Botanical Gardens.
Andaman Is., Asia, Australia, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Hawaii, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia*, Pacific, SE Asia, South America, Thailand, USA,
How to Identify
A ginger family herb which is dormant for part of the year. It has underground stems. It is the largest of the gingers. It can be 4 m tall. The leaves are sword shaped and 50 cm long. They are softly downy underneath. The bracts which enclose the flower are yellow at first but can become red later. They are scoop shaped and waxy. The flowers are produced at ground level on separate shoots. These are 25 cm long. The flowers are cream with purple near the edges.
How to Grow
Prefers a position in partial shade. Plants grow best in a moist, fertile, humus-rich, freely-draining soil. Plants have a distinct flowering flush, but can flower intermittently throughout the year.
Propagation: Seed - Division of the rhizome.
Medicinal Uses
In Indonesia, the plant has been used in traditional medicine to treat inflammation of the eyes. It is prepared for use by pounding the leaves of the plant into a thick paste, and then topically applying it to the required part of the body. It has also been recorded being used to treat burns, as a treatment for headaches and back pain, and as an agent for food preservation. Academic research has found that the plant has antimicrobial properties, and significant concentrations of the Zerumbone synthase enzyme, which may be effective in treating colon cancer.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Zingiber spectabile is a species of true ginger, native to Maritime Southeast Asia. It is primarily grown in the West as an ornamental plant, although it has been used in South-East Asia as a medicinal herb.
Names & Synonyms
Chadak, Tepai, Tepus haliya puar, Tepus tanah, Tepus tundok
References (14)
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- Tanaka,
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