Alpinia aquatica
(Retz.) Roscoe
Aquatic galangal
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Steven Chong, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Chong
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Steven Chong, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Chong
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) chra_davidtam, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaAlpinia aquatica, aquatic ginger, is a species of ginger native from South India to Western Malesia. It was first described by Anders Jahan Retzius and renamed by William Roscoe.
Description
A ginger family herb. It grows up to 2 m tall. The leaves are on 1.2 cm long leaf stalks. The leaves are sword shaped and 15-22 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. They are leathery and bright green. The flowers are pink and in a group at the top. The group of flowers are 15-25 cm long. The fruit are round and 6 mm across. They are green and turn red then black. The are 3-5 angular seeds.
Medicinal Uses
Used in traditional medicine.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It suits wet areas. It can grow in swamps from sea level to 800 m above sea level. It needs a temperature above 15°C.
Where It Grows
Asia, Australia, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia, Singapore, USA,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seed. It is best to soak the seed is slightly warm water for 2 days before sowing. Seeds germinate in 1-6 months. Plants can be grown by division or the rhizome.
Notes
There are 244 Alpinia species. It is used as medicine.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Lengkuas, Meroyan siamang, Munkanang, Shui shan jiang
References (2)
- e-monocot.org/taxon/urn:kew.org:wcs:taxon:218651
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 31 (As Alpinia fraseriana)
