Zingiberale order

Alpinia purpurata

Curcuma alismatifolia

Zingiber neglectum

In this issue we continue to explore the Zingiberale order, following on from an article on Heliconias in the June issue. Note this is only a taste of information to gain your interest to research further.

ZINGIBERACEAE – the Gingers

Zingiberaceae is the largest family in the Zingerberale order, containing 50 genera and 1,000 species. They are found in all tropical areas of the world but are concentrated in southeast Asia. There are several genera – Alpinia, Amomum, Bosenbergia, Curcuma, Etlingera, Globba, Hedychium, Kaempferia and Zingiber – all of which can be seen at the Cairns Botanic Gardens. These plants are grown for their beautiful flowers as well as for culinary purposes. Many species contain essential oils in their rhizomes and are used as spices for cooking, for example Curcuma domestica (turmeric), Alpinia galanga (galangal), and of course the most common, Zingiber officinale (the edible ginger).

COSTACEAE – Costus & Backscatcher Gingers

This family consists of four genera and about 150 species. Costus, with 100 species, is most diverse in the American tropics, but also found in Africa, Asia and Northern Australia. Costus are very easy to distinguish from other gingers by their whorling style of growth (see Costus vargassii right). Leaves whorl around the main stem while Ginger leaves are usually on either side of the stem and Heliconia leaves are usually at the end of the stem like the Bananas. Note: there are always exceptions to the rule. Other genera are Monocostus with one species as the name suggests, Dimerocostus (two species) and Tapeinochilos, often referred to as the Backscatcher Gingers. There are 20 species of Tapeinochilos extending through New Guinea, Indonesia and tropical Australia.

Kaempferia rotunda

Etlingera venusta

Zingiber officinale

Costus vargasii