Bara Kulanjan / Greater Galangal
Alpinia galanga
Also known as Java Galangal, Siamese Ginger
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- August-May
How to identify Bara Kulanjan
Identify Bara Kulanjan by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-May.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Zingiberaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Bara Kulanjan.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Alpinia galanga
- Genus
- Alpinia
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Widely cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Distribution
- Cultivated throughout SE Asia
- Found in India
- Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra, Manipur
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Zingiberaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Bara Kulanjan itself; the rest are typical of the Zingiberaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- बड़ा कुलंजन Bara kulanjan
- Bengali
- সুগন্ধাবচ
- Tamil
- Akkulati, Anaivacampu, அரத்தை, சித்தரத்தை
- Telugu
- Dumparaashtrakamu, దుంపరాష్ట్రము
- Kannada
- Dhumarasmi, ರಾನ್ನ
- Malayalam
- Chitta-ratta, വലിയ അരത്ത
- Marathi
- कोळींजन Kolinjan, Kosht-kulinjan
About Bara Kulanjan
Greater Galangal (Alpinia galanga) is a herb in the Zingiberaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and 4 other states. It is widely cultivated. Flowering and fruiting run from August to May.
Uses
It is grown for parts that are eaten and long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Zingiberaceae
Ginger family
Bara Kulanjan belongs to the Zingiberaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Zingiberaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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