''Curcuma glauca'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the ginger 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 ...

. It is a

rhizomatous 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 ...

geophyte A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. The plant, which is called ''malaphu'' (မာလာဖူး) in Burmese, is used as an

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with neighb ...

Taxonomy

The species was first described as ''Hitchenia glauca'' by

Nathaniel Wallich Nathaniel Wolff Wallich (28 January 1786 – 28 April 1854) was a surgeon and botanist of Danish origin who worked in India, initially in the Danish settlement near Calcutta and later for the Danish East India Company and the British East Indi ...

in 1835. The genus ''Hitchenia'' has now been subsumed into ''

Curcuma ''Curcuma'' () is a genus of plants in the ginger 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 spe ...

'',''Hitchenia'' Wall.
''

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

''. Retrieved 7 May 2024. with some species now included in other genera.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> *''Hitchenia careyana'' Benth. in G.Bentham & J.D.Hooker = ''

Larsenianthus careyanus ''Larsenianthus careyanus'' is a species of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). It occurs in Bangladesh as well as northeast India. It is the type species of the genus '' Larsenianthus'', which was newly established in 2010. Description ''Larsen ...

'' (Benth.) W.J.Kress & Mood *''Hitchenia caulina'' (J.Graham) Baker = '' Curcuma caulina'' J.Graham *''Hitchenia musacea'' Baker = '' Stachyphrynium latifolium'' (Blume) K.Schum. *''Hitchenia roscoeana'' (Wall.) Benth. & Hook.f. = ''

Curcuma roscoeana ''Curcuma roscoeana'' (also known as jewel of Burma, orange ginger, orange hidden ginger, pride of Burma or Burmese hidden lily) is a plant of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family. It is native to Burma, India, Southeast Asia and Malaysia; its w ...

'' Wall. ''Curcuma'' and ''

Larsenianthus ''Larsenianthus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants in the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). The genus was established in 2010. The four or so species are native to the area of the eastern Himalayas. Description ''Larsenianthus'' species grow a ...

'' are in the family

, but ''

Stachyphrynium ''Stachyphrynium'' is a genus of plants native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. It was first described as a genus with this name in 1902. Species The ''Kew World Checklist'' includes: * '' Stachyphrynium borneense'' - Borne ...

'' is in

Marantaceae The Marantaceae are a family, the arrowroot family, or the prayer plant family, of flowering plants consisting of 31 genera and around 530 species, defining it as one of the most species-rich families in its order. Kennedy, H. (2000). “Diversif ...

References

External links

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, ''Hitchenia glauca'' 'Rangoon Beauty'
photo glauca Endemic flora of Myanmar Plants described in 1835 Taxa named by Nathaniel Wallich {{Zingiberales-stub