ZINGIBERACEAE
Morphological description
Aromatic herbs; usually terrestrial plants with underground rootstock, petioles forming a pseudostem. Sometimes stemless plants (Boesenbergia, Kaempferia).
Leaves
Leaves simple, with a ligule and sheathing petiole.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence: flowers in dense capitate inflorescence on a separate peduncle, sometimes inflorescence breaking through the leafsheaths halfway the stem (Plagiostachys) or inflorescence fusiform (Hornstedtia).
Flowers
Flowers zygomorphic, 3-merous, calyx tubular, fertile stamen 1, anther 2-locular; labellum and petaloid lateral staminodes (staminodes reduced in Alpinieae, fused to margin of labellum in Zingiber); ovary inferior. Usually ovary 3-locular with several ovules per cell. Sometimes filament long exerted, bow-like (Globba).
Fruit
Fruit.
Seed
Seed.
Different from: Marantaceae: petiole swollen apically, plants not aromatic; sepals more or less free, anther 1-loculate, ovules 1 per cell. - Orchidaceae: leaves not ligulate; flowers mostly resupinate, stamen + style forming a column, pollen in waxy masses (pollinia).
Distribution: The family pantropical. In Malesia 26 genera, including : - Alpinia (Indo-Malesia, Pacific), tall herbs, lowland + montane rain forest; - Curcuma (Indo-Malesia), medium sized herbs, forest and forest margins, lowland; - Globba (Indo-Malesia), small herbs, forest floor, lowland; - Hornstedtia (Indo-Australia), tall herbs, forest floor, lowland; - Zingiber (Indo-Australia), medium to tall herbs, forest and forest edges, lowland.
Notes: Costaceae are here treated as a separate family. Members of the family are very common in the undergrowth of rain forest and in secondary vegetation. Many species useful to man. - Medicinal: Curcuma, Kaempferia, Zingiber. - Edible leaves or inflorescence: Amomum, Etlingera (Achasma, Geanthus, Nicolaia). - Spices: Alpinia, Curcuma, Elettaria*, Kaempferia, Zingiber. - Ornamentals: Alpinia, Globba, Hedychium, Zingiber.
Literature: .E. Holttum, The Zingiberaceae of the Malay Peninsula, Gard. Bull. Sing. 13 (1950) 1-249; R.M. Smith, A review of the Bornean Zingiberaceae, Not. Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 42 (1985) 261-314; 43 (1986) 439- 466; 44 (1987) 203-232; 45 (1988) 409- 423.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Zingiberaceae 75, 92, 104 - Alpinia 13, 78; A. domatifera 9 - Amomum 95, 96 - Boesenbergia 101 - Brachychilum 101 - Etlingera 76, 96 - Globba 13 - Hedychium 101 - Plagiostachys 70, 76 - Zingiber 101.
Illustrations: Fig. 186. Alpinia galanga (L.) Sw. (Zingiberaceae). Reproduced from J.J. Ochse & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies (1980) fig. 442. Fig. 187. Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae). Reproduced from J.J. Ochse & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies (1980) fig. 445. Fig. 188. Kaempferia pulchra Ridl. (Zingiberaceae). Reproduced from M.R. Henderson, Malayan wild flowers, Monocotyledons (1954, repr. 1974) 145. With kind permission of the Malaysian Nature Society. 235 Fig. 189. Zingiber zerumbet (L.) E. Sm. (Zingiberaceae). Reproduced from J.J. Ochse & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies (1980) fig. 463.
Image in PhytoImages for Zingiberaceae