Curcuma parviflora

Wallich

Zingiberaceae Edible: Leaves, Flowers 46 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A ginger family herb. It grows 30-40 cm high. There are 3-5 leaves. The are oval and long and up to 23 cm long by 8 cm wide. The leaf stalk is smooth and 10 cm long. The flower arrangement is cylindrical and at the end of the shoot. It is 6 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The bracts are like pouches and join together for half their length. They are 3 cm long by 1-1.2 cm wide. Each bract surrounds two flowers. The flowers are 1.5 cm long. The fruit is a capsule which is long and oval.

Edible Uses

Young leaves are served blanched with chili sauce. Flowers are boiled and eaten with shrimp paste and chili sauce.

Traditional Uses

Young leaves are served blanched and with chili sauce. The flowers are boiled and eaten with shrimp paste and chili sauce.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in shady deciduous forests.

Where It Grows

Asia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand,

Cultivation

Plants in this genus generaly prefer a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Germinates best at temperatures around 20°c. Division of the rhizome when the plant is dormant.

Notes

There are about 50 Curcuma species. They are mostly in SE Asia.

Synonyms

Hitcheniopsis parviflora (Wall.) Loes.

Also Known As

Dork grajeaw, Krachieo khaao, Mai-ta-raw-thing, Phu-ya-bawmg

References (9)

Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 208
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 248
Jacquat, C., 1990, Plants from the Markets of Thailand. D.K. Book House p 116
Kachenchart, B., et al, 2008, Phenology of Edible Plants at Sakaerat Forest. In Proceedings of the FORTROP II: Tropical Forestry Change in a Changing World. Bangkok, Thailand.
Kuhnlein, H. V., et al, 2009, Indigenous Peoples' food systems. FAO Rome p 171

Show all 9 references

Sirirugsa, P., 1999, Thai Zingiberaceae: Species Diversity and their Uses. http://www.iupac.org/symposia/proceedings/phuket 97
Somnasang, P., Moreno, G and Chusil K., 1998, Indigenous knowledge of wild hunting and gathering in north-east Thailand. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 19(4) p 359f
Somnasang, P., et al, 2000, Knowing gathering and eating: Knowledge and attitudes about wild food in an Isan Village in north eastern Thailand. Journal of Ethnobiology 20(2):197-216
Thitiprasert, W., et al, 2007, Country report on the State of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Thailand (1997-2004). FAO p 95