Characteristics
A ginger family herb. It has underground stems or rhizomes which produce leafy shoots. These occur 5-12 cm apart. They can have separate flower stalks. The leafy shoots are 1-5 m tall. The lower section only has leaf sheaths. The leaf stalk is 1-3 cm long. The blade is oblong and 40-52 cm long by 8-10 cm wide. The base is rounded. The tip has a point 5 cm long. The flowering spike is 5 cm long. It becomes 10 cm long when fruiting. The flowers are 3 cm by 3 cm and orange-yellow. They have red veins and spots. The fruit is round and 4.5 cm across. It has a few blunt, fleshy spines. The seeds are irregular and about 1 cm long.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
herb
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
-
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
2.0
|
| Root system |
rhizome
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
A tropical plant. It occurs in the hills of Peninsula Malaysia at moderate altitudes.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
-
|
Usage
The seed are used as a cardamom substitute.
| Uses |
food
|
| Edible
|
seeds
|
| Therapeutic use
|
-
|
| Human toxicity |
-
|
| Animal toxicity |
-
|
Cultivation
Can be grown by seedlings.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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