Therryssa Sylvain

Zingiber odoriferum Blume

Description

Zingiber odoriferum Blume, is a plant that is most efficient in the wet tropical biome geography. It is native to islands in West Malesia, specifically in the Adaman islands. They are usually in primary and secondary moist soils forests. These plants are roughly about 3 meters in height with a thick, strong supportive branched rhizome. Their leaves as you see in the picture below are quite oblong to linear. But once their leaves become bruised, it then releases a strongly scented once bruised. From the middle of the plant which has a cone like appearance, it has mini fruiting spikes on a long, narrow pendule. Their seeds are also like the leaves, more oblong and angular.

Zinigiber oderiferum Blume
Above is the Zingiber plant, shown in a brown color along with it's narrow leaves, thick stem and roots.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Phylum:	Tracheophyta
Class:	Lilioopsida
Order:	Zingiberaceae
Family:	Zingiberaceae
Genus:	Zingiber Mill.
Species:	Zingiber oderiferum Blume
Synonyms
• Zingiber aquosum Blume • Zingiber aquosum Noronha • Zingiber pachystachys Valeton

Distribution/ where its found

Typically, are found in Indonesia and are also cultivated there as well. The genus of this plant, Zingiber is naturally native in Southeast Asia, specifically in Thailand and China. That is a ginger plant.

Other uses

They can be used to be eaten with rice if its fruits are ripe or unripe. And its stems are used as a vegetable and can also be eaten.

Information on leaf structure

Their leaves as previously mentioned have a oblong-lanceolate to linear shape. Ranging of 15-47 cm x 3-7 cm. The small spikes it has are about 9-20 cm long. The berry like plant is amount 2 cm in diameter with seeds coming gout to 5mm long. You can see the plant is a very small plant.