Curcuma

Plant Characteristics

Lifespan:	⌛	?"?" is not in the list (perennial, annual, biennial, unknown) of allowed values for the "Lifespan" property.

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property.
Water:	◍	?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property.
Features:	✓	?"?" is not in the list (evergreen, deciduous, flowers, fragrance, edible, fruit, naturalizes, invasive, foliage, birds, ...) of allowed values for the "Features" property.

Scientific Names

Curcuma >

ExpandRead about Curcuma in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Curcuma (Arabic name). Zingiberaceae. Curious and showy warmhouse herbaceous plants with great spikes of large concave or hooded bracts, from which the flowers scarcely protrude. Erect herbs, the st. rising to 10 ft. from a thick tuberiferous rootstock: lvs. usually large: fls. in a dense cone like thyrse, borne behind concave or hooded imbricacated obtuse often colored bracts; calyx and corolla tubular, the former 2-3-toothed, the latter dilated above and with 5 ovate or oblong lobes; staminodium petal-like, 3-parted, the middle lobe anther-bearing: fr. inclosed by the bracts. The latest monograph, 1904 (by Schumann in Engler's Pflanzenreich, hft. 20), recognizes 42 species, mostly in Trop. Asia and some in Trop. Afr. The fleshy bracts are perhaps the showiest feature of the plant, the topmost ones being colored with gorgeous tropical hues. Rhizomes of some of the species yield East India arrowroot, while others furnish turmeric. The rhizome of C. zedoaria of India is very pungent and has properties similar to ginger. The genus is allied to Alpinia and Amomum. In spring the tubers should be deprived of last year's mold and repotted in a fresh mixture of light loam, leaf- mold and turfy peat, the pots being well drained, and placed in a warm pit or frame in bottom heat. Water should be given sparingly until after the plant has made some growth. The young roots are soft and succulent, and are likely to rot if the soil remains wet for a long time. After flowering, the leaves soon show signs of decay, and water should be gradually withdrawn. During the resting period the soil should not be allowed to get dust-dry, or the tubers are likely to shrivel. The plants are propagated by dividing the tubers in spring. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Species

C. albiflora, Thwaites, differs from some others here described in having its spikes sunk below the Lvs., instead of standing high above the Lvs. and all the bracts have fls., while the others have a sterile portion of the spike which is brightly colored. In this species the spike is short and green and the fls. are prominent and white. Ceylon. B.M.5909.—C. australasica, Hook, f., has its upper bracts soft, rosy pink and the fls. pale yellow. Austral.—C. Roscoeana, Wall., has a long and splendid spike, with bracts gradually changing from green to the vividest scarlet-orange: fls. pale yellow. Burma. B.M. 4667.—C. rubescens, Roxbg. (C. rubricaulis. Link). Lvs. stalked, oblong, with red sheaths, said to be brown in the center: fls. red. E. Indies.—C. zedoaria, Roscoe, has the upper bracts white, tinged with carmine, and handsomely variegated Lvs., which, with the green of the lower bracts and the yellow of the fls. makes a striking picture of exotic splendor. Himalayas.^CH

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Curcuma. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Curcuma QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)