Botanical Family · Zingiberales
Zingiberaceae
Ginger family
43 speciesOrder Zingiberales8+ well-known plants
The ginger family of aromatic herbs with underground rhizomes. A major source of culinary spices and medicines: ginger (Zingiber), turmeric (Curcuma), cardamom (Elettaria), and galangal. Known for showy bracts and irregular flowers with a prominent labellum.
Browse all 43 species ↓
How to recognise the Zingiberaceae family
- 01
Aromatic rhizomes with essential oils
- 02
Sheathing leaf bases, ligulate leaves
- 03
One fertile stamen; labellum often showy
Typical leaf characters
Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.
Typical flower & fruit
Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.
Notable members
Lesser Galangal, Snap GingerAlpinia calcarataGreater Galangal, Java Galangal; Siamese GingerAlpinia galangaMalacca GingerAlpinia malaccensisAllugha GalangalAlpinia nigraRed GingerAlpinia purpurataLight Galangal, Pink Porcelain Lily, Shell Ginger, Shell Flower, Shell PlantAlpinia zerumbetNilgiri FingerrootBoesenbergia tiliifoliaEast Indian Arrow Root, Travancore StarchCurcuma angustifolia
All 43 species in ZINGIBERACEAE
- Lesser Galangal, Snap GingerAlpinia calcarata
- Greater Galangal, Java Galangal; Siamese GingerAlpinia galanga
- Malacca GingerAlpinia malaccensis
- Allugha GalangalAlpinia nigra
- Red GingerAlpinia purpurata
- Light Galangal, Pink Porcelain Lily, Shell Ginger, Shell Flower, Shell PlantAlpinia zerumbet
- Nilgiri FingerrootBoesenbergia tiliifolia
- East Indian Arrow Root, Travancore StarchCurcuma angustifolia
- Wild Turmeric, Cochin Turmeric, Yellow ZedoaryCurcuma aromatica
- Deceptive CurcumaCurcuma decipiens
- Carnatic CurcumaCurcuma karnatakensis
- TurmericCurcuma longa
- Changeable TurmericCurcuma mutabilis
- Nilgiri TurmericCurcuma neilgherrensis
- Hill TurmericCurcuma pseudomontana
- Vaman TurmericCurcuma vamana
- CardamomElettaria cardamomum
- Red Torch Ginger, Torch GingerEtlingera elatior
- Dancing MarantinaGlobba marantina
- Dancing Girl GingerGlobba schomburgkii
- Butterfly Lily, Common Ginger Lily, Butterfly Ginger Lily, Garland Flower, White GingerHedychium coronarium
- Yellow Ginger LilyHedychium flavescens
- Spiked Ginger LilyHedychium spicatum
- Aromatic GingerKaempferia galanga
- Anamalai GingerZingiber anamalayanum
- Curved-Stem GingerZingiber cernuum
- Neesam GingerZingiber neesanum
- GingerZingiber officinale
- Rosy GingerZingiber roseum
- Wild Ginger, Stone Ginger, Bitter Ginger, Broad-Leaved Ginger, Pine Cone Ginger, Shampoo Ginger, Zerumbet GingerZingiber zerumbet
- Alpinia fax
- Amomum muricatum
- Amomum pterocarpum
- Boesenbergia pulcherrima
- Curcuma aeruginosa
- Curcuma ecalcarata
- Curcuma mutabilis
- Curcuma oligantha var. lutea
- Curcuma oligantha var. oligantha
- Globba bulbifera
- Globba ophioglossa
- Hitchenia caulina
- Zingiber diwakarianum
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