Alpinia purpurata (Red Ginger)

Alpinia purpurata (Red Ginger)

A rhizomatous, aromatic herb, leafy shoots usually 1‒2 m tall. Leaves oblong, 30‒80 × 10‒22 cm, glabrous, apex shortly acuminate, base sessile; ligules unequally 2-lobed, 0.7‒2.0 cm long, pubescent; sheaths pubescent at apex and along margins. Inflorescences terminal on leafy shoots, 15‒30 cm long, primary bracts usually red, occasionally pink or white in cultivated forms, ovate or broadly obovate, 2.5‒3 cm long at anthesis, apex mucronate, persistent, rachis glabrous, or rarely pubescent, bracteoles reddish, tubular, 6‒10 mm long, with a subapical spur. Calyx reddish, 1.7‒2.7 cm long, glabrous, each lobe with a subapical spur. Corolla white, exserted just beyond primary bracts, tube 2‒2.7 mm long; labellum white, with 2 distinct lateral lobes and a central segment, as long as corolla lobes. Stamen 6‒7 mm long. Ovary 3‒4 mm long, glabrous. Fruits capsule, sub-globose, 2‒3 cm in diam. A rhizomatous, aromatic herb with leafy shoots 1-2 m tall. Leaves are oblong, 30-80 × 10-22 cm, glabrous, with a shortly acuminate apex. Flowers white; fruits are sub-globose capsules, 2-3 cm diam.

Cultivation: Grows well in moist, well-drained loamy soils and forms dense thickets in moist habitats.

Etymology: The genus “Alpinia” is named in honour of Prospero Alpini (1553–1617), an Italian botanist and physician known for his pioneering studies on exotic plants, particularly those of Egypt. The specific epithet “purpurata” is derived from Latin, meaning “purple,” likely referring to the striking purplish-red bracts that are characteristic of this plant.