Hedychium gracile
Roxb.
Dainty ginger lily, Tiny white ginger lily
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President and Fellows of Harvard College
Summary
A compact perennial growing to 0.6 m tall with a single flowering period in September. Frost-tender, hardy to UK zone 9. Requires full sun and prefers moist soil, adapting well to sandy, loamy, or clay soils with mildly acidic to alkaline pH.
Description
A ginger family herb. It grows 60 cm tall and keeps growing from year to year. The leaves are oblong and 13-15 cm long by 3-5 cm wide. The flower spikes are 5-10 cm long. The stamens are long and red. The petals are white. The fruit is a small round capsule.
Edible Uses
Used as a spice. No further details are given.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant. It grows in moist places on the edges of forests. It is damaged by frost. It needs to be in a sunny position. It grows up to 1,900 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 8-11.
Where It Grows
Asia, Bangladesh, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia,Thailand,
Cultivation
Requires a rich moist soil and a sunny position. It can be grown in a sunny border as a summer sub-tropical bedding plant. Plants are not very hardy, they tolerate temperatures down to about -2°c and can be grown at the foot of a south-facing wall in the milder areas of Britain if given a good mulch in the winter. The flowers are sweetly scented, the scent being most pronounced towards evening. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. The tubers should be only just covered in soil.
Propagation
Sow seed as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse at 18°C. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on in the greenhouse for at least the first winter. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Divide clumps as growth begins in spring by digging them up and cutting through with a sharp spade or knife, ensuring each division has a growing shoot. Larger divisions can go directly into permanent positions, but smaller ones are best potted up and grown on in a greenhouse until established, then planted out in summer or the following late spring.
Other Uses
None known Special Uses Scented Plants
Synonyms
Also Known As
Gandasuli kecil, Kuhi-kulu, Pade-gaw
References (2)
- Gangwar, A. K. & Ramakrishnan, P. S., 1990, Ethnobotanical Notes on Some Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, Northeastern India. Economic Botany, Vol. 44, No. 1 pp. 94-105
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 1112
