PlantFiles: Peacock Ginger
Kaempferia laotica

MIne grow in a shady bed under a small redbud tree here in Houston, Tx. I have had them for some time. In the spring I loosen up the soil with a garden claw, which breaks up the rhizomes, and add a couple more inches of mulch. I water them regularly and they bloom well into our winter until they go dormant if it gets cold enough.

I have had mine for about four years now. Got it from a cutting (actually pulled a small piece out of the ground and repotted it.) It's a two leaf stemless plant that blooms continuously from April thru November then dies off. The top of the leaves are iridescent and satiny, while underneath they are purple to purple/red. Mine have a slight off color design flaring out from the base of the leaf to near the outside edge of the leaf. The flowers are a light violet. The rhizome can be divided to make more next year. I have mine growing underneath my biggest Sable Palmento palm. It gets a decent amount of sun, regular water and it does well very there. The plants grow very close together creating a very lush thick look.
Art