Ginger

Ginger, common name for a plant family with about 50 genera and 1,300 species. It is found throughout the tropics, mostly in Far Eastern countries. Its complicated, irregular flowers have one fertile stamen and a usually showy labellum or lip, formed from two or three sterile staminodes. The family is cultivated widely in the tropics for its showy flowers and useful products, derived mostly from the rhizomes (underground root-like stems). These products include the flavouring ginger; East Indian arrowroot, a food starch; and turmeric, an important ingredient in curry powder.

The order to which the ginger family belongs (Zingiberales) has 8 families, including the banana and bird-of-paradise families, and some 1,800 species, abundant throughout the moist tropics. Characteristically, members of the order have rhizomes. These are often fleshy, containing large amounts of starch or other useful substances. Leaves consist of a broad blade with parallel veins running perpendicular to a thick midrib. The midrib extends into a petiole, or stalk, and a sheathing base. The bases of the leaves overlap tightly, forming a rigid pseudo-stem. Thus, the “trunk” of the banana tree is not a stem at all but many overlapping leaf bases. Stems, except those bearing the flowers, are rarely exposed in the ginger order, because they are underground or covered by leaf bases.

Flowers of the order are usually showy, although sometimes bracts (specialized leaves) below the flowers or flower clusters are more showy than the flowers themselves. In about half the families of the order the three sepals and three petals are the conspicuous parts of the flowers. These families have five or, very rarely, six fertile stamens (male parts). The other families have only one functional stamen and two to five petal-like, sterile staminodes, which are often showy; sepals and petals are less conspicuous.

The banana family, with two genera and about 40 species, typically occurs in disturbed habitats in the Old World tropics. It has unisexual, often bat-pollinated flowers. The banana originated in south-eastern Asia, but it is now an important crop throughout the moist tropics, both as a local staple food and as an export crop. Cultivated bananas have sterile flowers, and the fruits develop unfertilized, so bananas contain no seeds. Production of new plants is by vegetative means, and propagation is from suckers that develop at the bases of the old plants.

The bird-of-paradise family, with three genera and about 7 species, occurs in tropical America, southern Africa, and Madagascar. The traveller’s tree, one of the few woody members of the order, belongs to this family. The bird-of-paradise flower and the false bird-of-paradise are cultivated for their often long-lasting flower clusters, which have large, colourful, boat-shaped bracts.

See also Canna.

Scientific classification: Gingers make up the family Zingiberaceae in the order Zingiberales. The flavouring ginger is classified as Zingiber officinale, East Indian arrowroot as Curcuma angustifolia, and turmeric as Curcuma longa. The banana belongs to the family Musaceae and is classified as Musa paradisiaca. The traveller’s tree, classified as Ravenela madagascariensis, and the bird-of-paradise flower, classified as Strelitzia reginae, belong to the family Strelitziaceae (sometimes Musaceae). The false bird-of-paradise belongs to the genus Heliconia of the family Musaceae (sometimes Heliconiaceae).