Cheilocostus globosus
(Blume) C. Specht
Spiral ginger
iNaturalist· cc-by
(c) Bernard DUPONT, some rights reserved (CC BY)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Suzu Sato, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
wikimedia· cc-by-sa
Wikimedia Commons - Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE
Description
A herb. It grows 4 m tall. It has rhizomes. The stems are robust and branched. They are twisted in spirals and covered with large scales 2-12 cm long. The leaves are oblong to sword shaped and 15-20 cm long by 6-10 cm wide. The leaves are alternate and smooth above and hairy underneath. The flowering shoots are oval and 5-15 cm long and the flowers are funnel shaped. They are red and yellow. The fruit is an oval capsule 1.5 cm long. There are many black seeds.
Edible Uses
The young shoots are eaten.
Known Hazards
None mentioned
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests and in moist places in valleys. It grows up to 1,700 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia*,
Synonyms
Also Known As
Pacing spiral
References (2)
- Hoare, A., 2003, Food use of the Lundayeh SW Sabah. Borneo Research Council.
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 1089
