Amomum maximum Roxb.

Species

Angiosperms > Zingiberales > Zingiberaceae > Amomum

Characteristics

Plants 2--3 m tall. Ligule pale yellow-green, oblong, 2-cleft, 1.2--2 cm, sparsely white pubescent; petiole absent to 8 cm; leaf blade oblong or long elliptic, 30--90 × 10--20 cm, adaxially glabrous, abaxially white villous, base attenuate, decurrent, apex caudate. Spikes subglobose, ca. 5 cm in diam.; bracts brownish, 2--2.5 cm, pubescent, deciduous. Calyx pale purple spotted adaxially, ca. 2.3 cm, apex 3-toothed; teeth lanceolate, ca. 5 mm. Corolla tube slightly longer than calyx; lobes white, oblong. Labellum white, yellow on each side of midvein, red striate at base, ovate, ca. 3.5 cm, apex slightly revolute, entire. Filament short; anther linear, 1--1.2 cm; connective appendage yellowish, crescent-shaped, apex slightly revolute. Capsule purple-green, ovoid, 2.5--3 × 1.8--2.4 cm, 9-winged, white pubescent; pedicel 7--10 mm. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Jun--Aug. 2 n = 48*.
More
A ginger family herb. The plant grows 2-3 m tall. It has a thick underground stem or rhizome. The leaf stalk can either not exist or be up to 8 cm long. The leaf blade is oblong and 30-90 cm long by 10-20 cm wide. It is bright green on top. Underneath is has a white covering. The flower spikes are almost round and 5 cm across. The bracts are brownish and 2-2.5 cm long. They are hairy but fall off. The flower is pale with purple spots. The fruit is a capsule which is purple-green and oval. It is 2.5-3 cm long by 1.8-2.4 cm across. It has 9 wings and fine white hairs. The seeds are oval and 5 mm long by 3 mm wide.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 2.0 - 3.0
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows in shady forests and on hill slopes between 600-800 m altitude in S. China. It is usually in forests on moist humus rich soils. In Yunnan.
More
Forests at elevations of 400-800 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The fresh fruit are eaten raw. They are also used as a spice. They are used in chutney. They are also cooked or candied. The young shoots and young flowers are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are cooked with rice. The rhizomes are eaten in chutney.
Uses animal food flavouring medicinal spice
Edible flowers fruits leaves roots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It can be grown using tips of the rhizomes that have roots. It can also be grown from seeds.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Amomum maximum unspecified picture
Amomum maximum unspecified picture

Distribution

Amomum maximum world distribution map, present in Andorra, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand

Conservation status

Amomum maximum threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID -
WFO ID wfo-0000339124
COL ID CWL9
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cardamomum maximum Amomum maximum