Practical
Plants

Hedychium coronarium

Butterfly Ginger

a perennial member of the Hedychium genus in the family Zingiberaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.5 m
Spread
1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young buds and flowers are eaten or used as a flavouring[2][3]. Root - cooked. A famine food used when all else fails[2].

Plant part
Flowers

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed is aromatic, carminative and stomachic[5]. The root is antirheumatic, excitant and tonic[5][7]. The ground rhizome is used as a febrifuge[7]. An essential oil from the roots is carminative and has anthelmintic indications[7]. The plant has been used as a remedy for foetid nostril[7].

Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Aromatic
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Stomachic
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The stems contain 43 - 48% cellulose and are useful in making paper[5]. An essential oil obtained from the flowers is valued in high grade perfumes[7]. The root contains 1.7% essential oil, which is used medicinally[7].

Product or use
Essential
Product or use
Paper

Environment

Range
E. Asia - India.
Habitat
Moist places along streams and on forest edges[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse at 18°c[4]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter in the greenhouse. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Division as growth commences in the spring[4]. Dig up the clump and divide it with a sharp spade or knife, making sure that each division has a growing shoot. Larger clumps can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a greenhouse until they are established. Plant them out in the summer or late in the following spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a rich moist soil and a sunny position[6]. It succeeds in shallow water[4] and can also be grown in a sunny border as a summer sub-tropical bedding plant[[1]. 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[1][4]. The flowers have a delicious perfume which is most pronounced towards evening[8]. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[6]. The tubers should be only just covered by soil[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  8. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  9. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

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