Ginger Identification
 

Good afternoon everyone! I'm hoping you can help me I.D. these gingers. I picked them up at some nurseries on vacation down in the FL panhandle. They didn't have any labels, but I was told that most of them are hardy in zone 8. Thank you very much. :bananas_b

Austin

Ginger #1


Ginger #2


Ginger #3


Ginger #4


Ginger #5


Ginger #6


Elephant Ear

Re: Ginger Identification
 

#2 looks like some type of hedychium...
#3 a curcuma of some sort
#6 spiral ginger of some sort
ee looks like an alocasia calidora to me.
#4 also looks like a hedychium (Got a close up of the bloom?)
May be way off, but that is my 2 cents worth...

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Ginger #5 is 'Panama Purple'. I have one myself.

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Dean,
Is it a curcuma?

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Yes, I believe Curcuma longa is the Latin name.

Re: Ginger Identification
 

#1 is a Globba I guess,....

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Austin,
I am sure you have this info, but I thought I would update the id's for others here that are curious as to what they are...
Here goes:

#1) Globba winitii
#2) Hedychium (unknown until bloom)
#3) Curcuma petiolata
#4) Hedychium (unknown until bloom)
#5) Curcuma zedoairia
#6) Costus speciosus

All should be able to handle your weather, as long as they are mulched. All that is, with the exception of possibly #6 and then it might be pushing it, but hey, don't we push anyway!!?!?!!

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Good job Randy. There is a possibility that #5 is something other than Zedoaria. There are several other Curcumas with a maroon stripe like Inodora and Aeruginosa. I have all three and if I didn't have tags in the ground, I would forget which are which without seeing the blooms. The Costus could also be Spicatus if the seller said it was hardy in Zone 8. Tough to tell without blooms.

Steve

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Hey great haul on the gingers!!!LOL
#1 has a beautiful bloom..
#3 Looks like mine it was labeled as Curcuma cordata..




#5 I have (2yrs) a plant that looks like that but has not yet bloomed.. If it doesn't soon it is OOH!!!

I also had spiral Ginger (not a true ginger) gave it all away...

Re: Ginger Identification
 

I was wrong about this one. I went to check for a tag on mine and can't find it so I checked through my notes. I know mine is Curcuma Panama Purple. I looked up the Curcuma zedoaria and the foliage does look like the picture too, Randy. Steve, you may be right too as there are so many different kinds of gingers/ Curcuma.

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Thanks everyone for your help! You guys are great! Randy, I appreciate you summarizing the information as well. Does anyone else have any thoughts? :)

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Can't help you with the ident I'm afraid, but I would give garden room to #1 in a heartbeat - never seem that before and it is gorgeous. Congratulations!
Cassie

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Ginger #2 is Hedychium Coronarium, "White Butterfly Ginger". I started with 2 each last year and the year before, of 1-gallon pots of these. Last month, I divided one of the pots and ended up with 8 new pots with a piece of root each, of which 4 had active growth. Now, even the ones without growth have at least two growing plants. They are very fast growers, and the original 4 pots survived the last 2 winters in an unheated greenhouse.

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Here is a pic of my White Butterfly Ginger.. I also got a start of Orange Butterfly Ginger but it has not bloomed yet.. The foilage looks the same to me..

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Chong,
Please help me as I have trouble telling hedychiums apart without a bloom. Could you please explain how you can tell that this is indeed a coronarium. I have several coronarium and I can't tell it apart from several others that I have... Thanks for the help as I am always looking at learning more about identification.

Re: Ginger Identification
 

It was an educated guess. H. Coronarium species is the most common ginger sold in nurseries because of proven cold hardiness (Zone 7-11), sturdy growth, and usually the most reasonably priced. They also have a larger leaf growth habit with lighter green color, almost banana like or canna like. This is the basis of my educated guess. I can spot a ginger plant of the Coronarium family fairly well in a group of gingers. But within the Coronarium family, I would have to see the flower to be absolutely certain. The ones that I have is probably all white with a pale yellow throat. Unless the nursery has a tag specifically identifying the variety, if it's labeled only as Hedychium, in all probability, it is a Coronarium.

Other Hedychiums have distinct leaf growth habits and color/pattern that are different from the Coronarium, and outside of being able to group them by family, I would not be able to tell which is which. Here are 3 examples, they may be some of what you have:
"Unusual plants: Hedychium"

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Thanks, that's great. I am hoping these gingers will be hardy in my zone. I'm going to plant them in well drained soil with a southern exposure by my musa basjoos. I guess we'll see which ones are hardy and which ones are not come spring. I appreciate all the responses. You guys know your plants! :goteam:

Re: Ginger Identification
 

Ginger #2 may well be Coronarium. It's very hard to tell. That particular picture shows the ginger to have been in a lot of sun. My Coronarium is in mostly shade and the leaves are dark green and much larger. As a general rule, the more sun, the more lightly colored the leaves will be and their shape will have that curled look. Ginger #4 is in bloom and it's definitely a Hedychium. There are dozens of hybrids that bear flowers that color so my guess would be any of the following: Pink V, Ayo, Pink Flame, Kinkako, Gahili. Pink V by far is the most common and is rated for Zone 7.