Butterfly Ginger

Hedychium coronarium

A member of the ginger family Zingiberaceae  is native to the Himalayan region and southern China. The plant is commonly known as  ‘Butterfly ginger' because the shape of the flowers of this ginger resembles to that of a butterfly with its wings spread open. It is an unusual ginger that bear flowers having sweet fragrance and also called as ‘ginger lily'. This plant grows upto an height of 2 m and its leaves are shaped like a long dagger usually smooth on the upperside and slightly hairy below. Its dense clump of leafy shoots are arranged on the opposite sides of the stem which directly arise from the fleshy rhizome that creeps on the ground surface. H. coronarium is a robust, attractive plant that vigorously  grow and needs to be divided often. Butterfly gingers are always terrestrials and are well grown in fertile soil that is rich in organic matter to conserve moisture and keep the roots cool.

The leaves of this plant were used as mattresses by African slaves during the era of slavery.Its  white flowers are extremely fragrant hence used in perfume making industries. The rhizomes are used for making arrowroot powder as well as used as raw material for paper making industries. The roots and leaves have extensive medicinal properties for treatment of fever, arthritis, worm infestations, weakness, stimulant. Butterfly gingers are also known as ‘The white butterfly ginger' which is the national flower of Cuba. This plant is now in the verge of extinction due to deforestation and human activities. So the conservation of this important species must be done to prevent from extinction.