Zingiber

Zingiber is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae. It contains the true gingers, including the type species, Zingiber officinale, known as ginger.

Description

The Zingiber genus is native to Southeast Asia, China, the Indian Subcontinent, and New Guinea. It contains several species of aromatic, perennial, herbaceous plants with distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. The plants are either self-supporting or epiphytic. Flowers are hermaphroditic and are zygomorphic.

Species

There are about 141 accepted species in the Zingiber genus. Some of the most notable species include:

• Zingiber officinale: Also known as ginger, it is widely used as a spice or a folk medicine.
• Zingiber zerumbet: Also known as the shampoo ginger or pinecone ginger.
• Zingiber spectabile: Known as the beehive ginger, it is an ornamental plant with cone-shaped bracts.

Uses

Zingiber species are used for a variety of purposes. The most well-known species, Zingiber officinale, is used as a spice in cooking and also in traditional medicine. Other species, such as Zingiber zerumbet, have medicinal uses in their native regions.

See also

• List of Zingiber species
• Zingiberaceae
• Ginger

External links

• The Plant List: Zingiber