Ginger

Plant Characteristics

{{#ask:	limit=0|searchlabel=Habit}}		Growth habit::bulbous
Height:	⇕	Min height::3 ft to Max height::5 ft
Width:	⇔	Max width::3 ft
{{#ask:|Lifespan::+| ?Lifespan| limit=0|searchlabel=Lifespan}}:	⌛	Lifespan::perennial
Origin:	✈	Origin::Tropical Asia
Poisonous:	☠	Poisonous::reactions in some
Bloom:	❀	Flower season::early summer, Flower season::mid summer, Flower season::late summer

Cultivation

{{#ask:|Exposure::+| ?Exposure| limit=0|searchlabel=Exposure}}:	☼	Exposure::part-sun
Features:	✓	Features::edible
USDA Zones:		Min zone::9 to Max zone::11

Scientific Names

Zingiberaceae >

Zingiber >

officinale >

Read about Ginger in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Zingiber officinale, Roscoe. Ginger. Sts. normally more than 3 ft. high from a tuberous rhizome: lvs. sessile, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, attenuate-acuminate at base, up to 8 in. long and scarcely 3/4 in. broad: spikes ellipsoidal, obtuse, dense, 2 in. long; bracts ovate, pale green, margins often yellow: calyx crenate; corolla yellowish green, lobes lanceolate, acute, lip oblong-ovate, purple, yellow-spotted, lateral lobes ovate, acute. Native of Trop. Asia, but cult. throughout the tropics and intro. into S. Fla. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Zingiber officinale is grown for the spicy aromatic root, popular in cooking and as medicine, as well as for aesthetic reasons in warm climes. Leaves are glossy green and narrow. Small green inflorescences have white and pink-maroon buds and yellow flowers. Plant comes in various forms. Most forms sterile.

More information about this species can be found on the genus page.

Similar species

• Myoga (Zingiber mioga Roscoe) - flower buds are used in Japanese cuisine
• galangal (Boesenbergia rotunda, aka Thai ginger, fingerroot, Chinese ginger or krachai) also in the ginger family is used in Thai cuisine. Galangal is also called Thai ginger.
• Asarum canadense, a native species of eastern North America, is also known as "wild ginger", but should not be eaten!

Gallery

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  Ginger root

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  Ginger section

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  Ginger field

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  Sketch of ginger plant

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
• Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381

External links

• w:Ginger. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Ginger QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)