Zingiberaceae
Read about Zingiberaceae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Zingiberaceae (from the genus Zingiber, the Indian name). Ginger Family. Fig. 12. Herbs with creeping or tuberous rhizomes, rarely with fibrous roots: leaves basal or cauline, alternate, sheathing; blade with ligule at top of petiole, linear or elliptic, the pinnately parallel veins strongly ascending: flowers bisexual, irregular, epigynous; perianth of 6 parts, in 2 series, differentiated into a tubular 3-toothed or spathiform somewhat herbaceous calyx, and a tubular unequally 3-lobed corolla; 1 stamen only is fertile, opposite this is a large petaloid staminodium, and there are sometimes other smaller ones; ovary inferior, 3-celled, rarely 1-celled; ovules many in each cell; style 1; stigma usually 1 : fruit a capsule; seed with large perisperm, small endosperm, and straight embryo. There are 24 genera and about 270 species, distributed in the tropical regions of the eastern hemisphere. Only 2 genera are in America. The largest genera are Amomum, with 50 species, and Alpinia, with 40 species. The family is related to the Musaceae, Marantaceae and Cannaceae, but differs in the ligule, the aromatic oil, the sharp differentiation of the perianth, the single stamen, and the large single staminodium. To the spicy aromatic flavor of the rhizomes and fruits the family owes its useful qualities. Ginger is from the rhizomes of Zingiber officinale, cultivated from India. Cardamon fruits are from Elettaria Cardamomum of farther India. Curcuma or turmeric is from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, cultivated from southeast Asia. This is used in medicine, and for flavoring pickles. In it is a yellow dye. The seeds of Amomum Melegueta of west Africa are the grains of paradise of commerce. Galangal, used in perfumery, is the rootstock of Alpinia Galanga of the East Indies. Several genera are in cultivation in America, mostly grown for ornamental purposes in greenhouses and principally in the South. Among these are: Alpinia (Shell Flower); Amomum; Curcuma (Curcuma, Turmeric); Elettaria (commercial Cardamon seeds); Hedychium (Butterfly Lily, Ginger Lily, Garland Lily); Kaempferia; Zingiber (Ginger).CH
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Genera
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
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