Statue of Unity – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Rain Forest Ektanagar

Alpinia zerumbet

Syn. Costus zerumbet

IUCN Red List Data Deficient (DD)

Local name

  • Shell Ginger (English)
  • Punnag champa (Bengali)

Herb type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Zingiberaceae
2m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Alpinia zerumbet bark

Bark

No true bark; forms erect pseudostems from overlapping leaf sheaths. Rhizomes are thick, aromatic, and branched.

Alpinia zerumbet leaves

Leaves

The leaves are about 2 ft long and 6 in across and strikingly variegated with irregular stripes of green and yellow in some varieties.

Alpinia zerumbet flower

Flower

The flowers are white, tipped in pink, and borne in long pendant arches. In some varieties, there is no pink in the tip.

Alpinia zerumbet fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Globose to ovoid capsule, about 2–3 cm in diameter. Green when immature, becoming orange-red at maturity. Contains numerous black seeds enclosed in a whitish aril.

Alpinia zerumbet

Did you know?

The individual flowers are reminiscent of small seashells, which accounts for the common name “shell ginger”.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

South Japan to Taiwan, South China to North Peninsula Malaysia