''Curcuma'' () is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of plants in the family

Zingiberaceae Zingiberaceae () or the ginger family is a family of flowering plants made up of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes distributed throughout tropical ...

that contains such species as

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

and Siam tulip. They are native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, southern China, the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and northern Australia. Some species are reportedly naturalized in other warm parts of the world such as tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, and various islands of the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, Indian and

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

s. Generally, most curcuma grows well in loose and sandy soil in shaded areas.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Botanical description

Curcuma is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

plant that can reach a height of 1 meter. It emits numerous, edible

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

whose interiors are yellow or orange. These

are reduced to a powder, which is the spice called curcuma. Its

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regula ...

leaves are oblong or elliptical and are of a uniform green, and about 50cm long and 7 to 25 cm wide.

Uses

The name is derived from the Sanskrit ''kuṅkuma'', referring to

. Turmeric is used to flavour or colour

curry powder Curry powder is a spice mix originating from the Indian subcontinent where it is typically called garam masala. History Key ingredients of curry powder consist of ginger, garlic, fennel, mace, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric ...

s, mustards, butters, and cheeses; it may also be used as a substitute for

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma (botany), stigma and stigma (botany)#style, styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly ...

or other yellowish pigments.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants ...

'' currently includes:Plants of the World Online: ''Curcuma'' L. (retrieved 3 May 2021)
/ref> # '' Curcuma aeruginosa'' Roxb. # '' Curcuma albiflora'' Thwaites # ''

Curcuma alismatifolia ''Curcuma alismatifolia'', Siam tulip or summer tulip ( th, ปทุมมา, ; , ; , ) is a tropical plant native to Laos, northern Thailand, and Cambodia. Despite its name, it is not related to the tulip, but to the various ginger species ...

'' Gagnep. : Siam tulip # '' Curcuma amada'' Roxb. : mango-ginger # ''

Curcuma amarissima ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' Roscoe # ''

Curcuma andersonii ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species are ...

'' (Baker) Škornick. # '' Curcuma angustifolia'' Roxb. # ''

Curcuma antinaia ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some spec ...

'' Chaveer. & Tanee # '' Curcuma arida'' Škornick. & N.S.Lý # ''

Curcuma aromatica ''Curcuma aromatica'' (common name: wild turmeric) is a member of the genus '' Curcuma'' belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. Botanically close to '' Curcuma australasica'', wild turmeric has been widely used as a cosmetic herbal in South Asia ...

'' Salisb. : wild turmeric # '' Curcuma arracanensis'' W.J.Kress & V.Gowda # ''

Curcuma attenuata ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' Wall. ex Baker # '' Curcuma aurantiaca'' Zijp # '' Curcuma australasica'' Hook.f. # ''

Curcuma bakeriana ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' Hemsl. # '' Curcuma bella'' Maknoi, K.Larsen & Sirirugsa # ''

Curcuma bhatii ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' (R.M.Sm.) Škornick. & M.Sabu # '' Curcuma bicolor'' Mood & K.Larsen # ''

Curcuma caesia ''Curcuma caesia'', black turmeric or black zedoary, is a perennial herb with bluish-black rhizomes that is native to northeast India. Preparation The cultivation and harvest practices are similar to that of common turmeric. In the fields, t ...

'' Roxb. # ''

Curcuma campanulata ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' (Kuntze) Škornick. # ''

Curcuma candida ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' (Wall.) Techapr. & Škornick. # ''

Curcuma cannanorensis ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' R.Ansari, V.J.Nair & N.C.Nair # '' Curcuma caulina'' J.Graham # ''

Curcuma ceratotheca ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' K.Schum. # ''

Curcuma clovisii ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' Škornick. # ''

Curcuma cochinchinensis ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip. They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species a ...

'' Gagnep. # ''

Curcuma codonantha