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I was wondering if someone could help me with a positive ID of this ginger. I purchased it from an herb and vegetable plant seller as Cardamom ginger---a very tiny 4 inch pot sized plant. It looks like the many images I have seen of cardamom on the internet. However, in size, it is nowhere near the 12 feet tall that the commerically raised cardamom reportedly attains. This plant stayed under a foot tall for its first three years. When I moved and transplanted it at my new house two years ago, it went crazy and is now over 5 feet tall. It has formed a huge clump, though it has never bloomed thus far.
The leaves have the most positively fantastic perfume when crushed--sort of like pumpkin pie spice--wonderfully strong and sweet. In fact, I love weeding and working around this plant because to brush against it releases the fragrance as well.
Cardamom is supposed to be very cold sensitive but this one seems to take down to 32 degrees without much problem. If it isn't covered it gets a little "burned" but bounces right back. I have read about so-called "false cardamom" and was wondering if this was one of these. They are also used in spice making but supposedly are not as intense in flavor or fragrance as the commercially grown species. I imagine this plant should bloom eventually as it is getting bigger and the clump is extremely thick and dense. It would be cool to get a few pods of cardamom.
Lastly, I cannot remember the grower I got it from as it was at a plant sale a few years ago and I wouldn't know where to begin as the sellers were from all over the place.
Sooooo, can anyone help me with an ID? I really like this plant, as does anyone that visits my garden. Once I hand them a leaf to smell and they see this lovely clump of green, they like it immediately. It is also extremely low maintainance and seems to thrive the more I just leave it alone.
BTW--that is a staghorn fern hanging on the above right-hand side---not some weird growth from the ginger. LOL
Thanks!
This message was edited Jan 18, 2009 4:08 PM
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