Jul 6, 3:36 AM

PlantFiles: Indian Ginger, Snap Ginger
Alpinia calcarata

Guides and Information

Welcome!

You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!

Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.

Login

If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.

Username:

Password:

Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Alpinia (al-PIN-ee-uh) (Info)
Species: calcarata (kal-ka-RAY-tuh) (Info)

Synonym:Languas calcarata
Synonym:Alpinia cernu

Category:
Tropicals and Tender Perennials

Height:
36-48 in. (90-120 cm)
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)

Spacing:
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade

Danger:
Unknown - Tell us

Bloom Color:
Pale Yellow
White/Near White

Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer

Foliage:
Shiny/Glossy-Textured

Other details:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Suitable for growing in containers

Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)

Propagation Methods:
By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)

Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds

By htop

Profile:

No positives
1 neutral
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

Rating	Author	Comment
Neutral	htop	On Dec 28, 2007, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote: I have not grown this plant. Indian ginger, snap ginger (Alpinia calcarata) is a native plant of India and is also known as cardamon ginger and false cardamon. Indian ginger appears to grow well in the Hawaiian Islands. It grows between 5 and 6 feet tall. The 2 inch wide, 12 inch long leaves are lighter on the undersides. The blooms, which somewhat resemble snapdragon blooms and appear on 4 inch racemes, are white with yellow and reddish-maroon variegation. Indian Ginger blooms on second year growth. If temperatures stay above the mid-twenties, it stays evergreen throughout the winter and will bloom in the spring. In very hot regions, Indian ginger prefers morning sun and afternoon shade. Although the seeds do not look like true cardamon, the leaves can be used to add flavour when steaming rice, in desserts or used to wrap fish.

Regional...

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

Deltona, Florida
Naples, Florida
Winter Springs, Florida

Your actions

» Upload an image of this plant

» View a printer-friendly data sheet for this plant

« Return to the PlantFiles homepage

Overwhelmed? There's a lot to see here. Try starting at our homepage.