Other Economically Important Species

Abstract

The genus Zingiber, the type genus of the family Zingiberaceae, forms an important group of the order Zingiberales. The word ginger refers to the edible ginger of commerce, Zingiber officinale. Ginger is also the common term for the members of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, which includes the many other species of Zingiber besides Z. officinale, worth growing as ornamentals, while some are valuable medicines. Many species are grown in the garden as ornamentals. They bear showy, long-lasting inflorescences and often brightly colored bracts and floral parts; they are widely used as cut flowers in floral arrangements. The gradual changing of the inflorescence bracts from green to yellow to various shades of red and finally to deep red adds to the beauty of the inflorescence. Many wild species have great ornamental potential. Some of them are good foliage plants due to their arching form and shining leaves. Leaves exhibit shades of light green to dark green, variegated with yellow and white, or with deep purple undersurfaces. Many of the inflorescence bracts, when squeezed, release a thick juice with the form of mucilage, or a shampoo-like substance. Hence, those gingers having this mucilage in their bracts are called shampoo gingers. The following is a brief description of the Zingiber species having economic importance as local medicine, as spice, or as ornamental plants.