Amomum maximum
Roxb.
Great winged amomum, Java cardamom
(c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) guanhong, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Fruit, Fruit - spice, Vegetable, Flowers, Tuber/Rhizome, Roots
The fresh fruits are eaten raw, used as a spice, and made into chutney or candied. Young shoots and young flowers are cooked and eaten as vegetables, often with rice. The rhizomes are used in chutney.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in shady forests and on hill slopes between 600-800 m altitude in S. China. It is usually in forests on moist humus rich soils. In Yunnan.
Andamans, Asia, Bangladesh, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Thailand, Tibet,
How to Identify
A ginger family herb. The plant grows 2-3 m tall. It has a thick underground stem or rhizome. The leaf stalk can either not exist or be up to 8 cm long. The leaf blade is oblong and 30-90 cm long by 10-20 cm wide. It is bright green on top. Underneath is has a white covering. The flower spikes are almost round and 5 cm across. The bracts are brownish and 2-2.5 cm long. They are hairy but fall off. The flower is pale with purple spots. The fruit is a capsule which is purple-green and oval. It is 2.5-3 cm long by 1.8-2.4 cm across. It has 9 wings and fine white hairs. The seeds are oval and 5 mm long by 3 mm wide.
How to Grow
It can be grown using tips of the rhizomes that have roots. It can also be grown from seeds.
Medicinal Uses
The plant is used in medicine.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Amomum maximum, commonly known as Java cardamom, is a perennial, rhizomatous herb native to a vast region spanning Tropical and Subtropical Asia. It thrives in wet, tropical biomes, typically found in the shady undergrowth of forests and on hill slopes at elevations of 600 to 800 meters. The plant is characterized by its large, oblong-lanceshaped leaves, which can grow up to 70 cm long, and its ellipsoid, purple-green fruits that have nine distinct, winged ribs. Its striking flowers are borne in nearly spherical spikes, featuring a white lip with a prominent yellow central line and radiating red veins. Known locally as Perelam (Amomum pterocarpum) in Kerala, India, this species is documented as doubtfully present in Sumatra but is native to a wide range of locations including India, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and New Guinea. The plant's life cycle is marked by a flowering and fruiting season that typically occurs from May to October.
Other Information
It is a cultivated food plant. It is sold in local markets.
Notes
There are about 150 Amomum species. They are mostly tropical. It is used in medicine.
Names & Synonyms
Aidu, Aigeju, Aihere tel, Aihre bua, Chang gui sha ren, Ge bo di, Guogu, Hanggasa, Jiu chi dou kou, Kapulaga jawa, Leribu, Ma guo, Melao, Mieqie, Mi jie, Reivii, Resah, Sa jia hong bi
References (27)
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