Kaemferias and relatives

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by San, Nov 9, 2009.

  1. San

    San Member

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    This is one of my fav gingers - compact, interesting with and without flowers, not too fussy to grow and make a good spice too !

    I'll kick start this thread with a marginata and another I believed to be roscoena but not entirely sure - pls let me know if you think otherwise.

    The third plant is a Cornukaemferia aurantifolia - the peacock ginger which has lovely leaves and unusual bright yellow bloom.

    HortLog
     

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  2. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    beautiful pics, san! i'm thinking of growing ginger indoors. any suggestions? i've heard that i can plant ginger "root" from the grocery store if it has little buds on it...
     
  3. 2annbrow

    2annbrow Active Member

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    Hi, leaf!
    I think the ginger from the grocery store to which you refer is zingiber officinalis, and I, too, would like to try growing it in a pot. Any suggestions, anyone? Shelly, didn't you grow one that way?
     
  4. San

    San Member

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    Generally my plants are grown from rhizomes as long as they are not damaged or rotten. The domestic Zingiber officinale, however, can be quite large - more than 1 metre tall - and it may not flower (some forms are sterile). There are, instead, many small gingers you can try growing, like Globba and Kaemferia, that are interesting and more free flowering - depending on your zone.
     
  5. 2annbrow

    2annbrow Active Member

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    San - You mentioned "not too fussy to grow and make a good spice too!" Those are edible also? I am confused, please forgive and enlighten me?
     
  6. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    so where do you get these small gingers from, san? i'm in zone 8 but i want to grow ginger inside so i guess the zone isn't important. can you cook with other gingers? thanks!
     
  7. San

    San Member

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    Hi,

    I stay in the Far East so I have ready access to these native plants. In America, you can check out Dave Skinner's site for recommendation - do note I have not purchased any gingers from them before so I cannot vouch for their services. In fact Dave himself has a Ginger R Us shopping site and can offer better advice of local growing conditions.

    Coming to spice question - Kaempferia galanga is used to spice up the peanut dipping sauce for Satay. Chinese also use it for cooking poultry - but the taste is rather strong. I have heard the Thais commonly use other Kaempferias (like those in pics) as spices too - but for me they are too rare and pretty to be served ....
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2009
  8. San

    San Member

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    btw - most plants from Ginger family - with the notable exception of Costus, which some say is not a Ginger anyway - are used locally as medicine or spice - one way or the other.
     
  9. 2annbrow

    2annbrow Active Member

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    Hello, San and leaf kotasek!
    I agree, they look way too nice to eat. As for spice, Joy of Cooking (my "bible") lists galangal as a spice similar to ginger, but makes the same point as San - flavor is very strong, and different from true ginger.
    What about the beautiful blooming gingers I saw while living on Oahu, Hawaii:
    torch ginger, shell ginger, butterfly ginger? They were all pretty big, and I've never seen indoors anywhere. Any info on those?
     
  10. San

    San Member

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    Etlingera elatior (torch) and Alpinia (shell) are large plants needing strong light - not suited for indoor care. But flower buds of Etlingera elatior make a good salad here. I use Alpinia rhizomes quite frequently - great for braising poultry !
     
  11. San

    San Member

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    Re: Kaempferias and relatives

    This is an unknown plant - I think it may be Kaempferia purpurea - can anyone confirm this ?
     

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