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Hedychium spicatum Buch.-ham. ex Sm.

Species

Angiosperms > Zingiberales > Zingiberaceae > Hedychium

Characteristics

Pseudostems ca. 1 m. Leaves sessile or shortly petiolate; ligule entire, 1.5--2.5 cm, membranous; leaf blade oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 10--40 × 3--10 cm, glabrous or abaxially sparsely villous along midvein, base acute, apex acuminate. Spikes to 20 cm, laxly few or densely many flowered; bracts oblong, 2.5--3 cm, 1-flowered. Flowers fragrant. Calyx 2.5--3.5 cm, apex 3-toothed, split on 1 side. Corolla pale yellowish; tube to 8 cm, apex sometimes purplish red; lobes linear, ca. 2.5 cm, base sometimes purplish red. Lateral staminodes white or becoming yellow, sometimes purplish red, obovate, apex 2-lobed; lobes clawed, apex acute. Labellum yellowish, sometimes purplish red. Filament pale reddish, shorter than labellum. Capsule subglobose, 1.5--2.5 cm in diam., 3-valved; valves ca. 6-seeded. Fl. Jun--Oct. fr. Oct--Nov.
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A ginger family herb. The false stem is about 1 m tall. The leaves do not have leaf stalks or they are short. The leaf blade is oblong or sword shaped and 10-40 cm long by 3-10 cm wide. They taper to the tip. The flower spikes can be 20 cm long. There can be a few loose flowers or many densely packed flowers. The bracts are oblong surrounding one flower. The flowers have a smell. The flowers are yellowish but sometimes purplish red at the tip. The fruit is a capsule which is half round and 1.5-2.5 cm across. It has 3 valves. There are about 6 seeds in each valve. Varieties are described on how many flowers they have.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.6 - 0.85
Mature height (meter) 1.5
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 and subtropical plant. It grows in forests between 1200-3200 m altitude in S China. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. In Yunnan.
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Forest clearings and shrubberies at elevations from 1,800-2,800 metres from Himachal Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh.
Forest clearings and shrubberies at elevations from 1,800-2,800 metres from Himachal Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh.
Light 6-8
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

The tuberous roots or rhizomes are edible and used as a spice.
Uses environmental use essential oil material medicinal spice
Edible fruits roots tubers
Therapeutic use Edema (leaf), Exanthema (leaf), Abdominal pain (bark), Antirheumatic agents (bark), Arthritis (bark), Anti-bacterial agents (fruit), Antifungal agents (fruit), Edema (fruit), Anti-bacterial agents (leaf), Arthritis (leaf), Menstrual cycle (leaf), Analgesics (rhizome), Anthelmintics (rhizome), Anti-bacterial agents (rhizome), Antiemetics (rhizome), Antifungal agents (rhizome), Anti-infective agents (rhizome), Anti-infective agents, local (rhizome), Anti-inflammatory agents (rhizome), Antineoplastic agents (rhizome), Antioxidants (rhizome), Antiparasitic agents (rhizome), Antirheumatic agents (rhizome), Antitubercular agents (rhizome), Appetite stimulants (rhizome), Arthritis (rhizome), Asthma (rhizome), Bronchitis (rhizome), Central nervous system depressants (rhizome), Colic (rhizome), Cough (rhizome), Diabetes mellitus (rhizome), Diarrhea (rhizome), Dysentery (rhizome), Dyspepsia (rhizome), Dyspnea (rhizome), Expectorants (rhizome), Eye diseases (rhizome), Fever (rhizome), Flatulence (rhizome), Furunculosis (rhizome), Gastrointestinal diseases (rhizome), Halitosis (rhizome), Hematologic diseases (rhizome), Hemorrhoids (rhizome), Hypoglycemic agents (rhizome), Hypotension (rhizome), Immunomodulation (rhizome), Inflammation (rhizome), Insect repellents (rhizome), Liver diseases (rhizome), Lymphadenitis (rhizome), Menstrual cycle (rhizome), Menstruation-inducing agents (rhizome), Mouth diseases (rhizome), Nausea (rhizome), Neoplasms (rhizome), Pain (rhizome), Parasympatholytics (rhizome), Pleurisy (rhizome), Pruritus (rhizome), Pulmonary eosinophilia (rhizome), General tonic for rejuvenation (rhizome), Skin diseases (rhizome), Snake bites (rhizome), Stress, physiological (rhizome), Urination disorders (rhizome), Vomiting (rhizome), Rheumatoid arthritis (rhizome), Analgesics (root), Anthelmintics (root), Anti-bacterial agents (root), Antifungal agents (root), Anti-infective agents (root), Anti-infective agents, local (root), Anti-inflammatory agents (root), Apnea (root), Appetite stimulants (root), Asthma (root), Bronchitis (root), Cathartics (root), Central nervous system diseases (root), Diarrhea (root), Dysentery (root), Dyspepsia (root), Expectorants (root), Flatulence (root), Furunculosis (root), Hemorrhoids (root), Hypertension (root), Hypoglycemic agents (root), Hypotension (root), Inflammation (root), Insect repellents (root), Liver diseases (root), Malaria (root), Pain (root), Parasympatholytics (root), Pharyngitis (root), General tonic for rejuvenation (root), Scorpion stings (root), Smallpox (root), Snake bites (root), Spasm (root), Stomach diseases (root), Tuberculosis (root), Vomiting (root), Wounds and injuries (root), Anthelmintics (stem), Appetite stimulants (stem), Diarrhea (stem), Expectorants (stem), Flatulence (stem), Inflammation (stem), Liver diseases (stem), Menstruation-inducing agents (stem), Pain (stem), General tonic for rejuvenation (stem), Snake bites (stem), Tooth diseases (stem), Vomiting (stem), Contraceptive agents (tuber), Balsamic (unspecified), Candida (unspecified), Fungicide (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Bactericide (unspecified), Anti-bacterial agents (unspecified), Antifungal agents (unspecified), Anti-infective agents, local (unspecified), Anti-inflammatory agents (unspecified), Antipyretics (unspecified), Aphrodisiacs (unspecified), Cardiovascular system (unspecified), Hypertension (unspecified), Hypotension (unspecified), Hypothermia (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Insect repellents (unspecified), Insecticides (unspecified), Liver diseases (unspecified), Tranquilizing agents (unspecified), Vasodilator agents (unspecified), Wounds and injuries (unspecified), Insecticides (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown by division of the clump.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 20 - 25
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -2
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Hedychium spicatum world distribution map, present in China, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand

Identifiers

LSID -
WFO ID wfo-0000436456
COL ID 3JZN9
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Hedychium spicatum Hedychium acuminatum Hedychium venustum Hedychium phuluangense Hedychium cernuum Hedychium trilobum Hedychium spicatum var. acuminatum Hedychium spicatum var. khasianum Hedychium spicatum var. trilobum
WorldFloraDB 2024