Zingiberaceae, the ginger family, is a family 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 ...

s containing 58 genera and about 1600 described species distributed globally in the tropics and subtropics. They are aromatic perennial herbs with creeping

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

s, sometimes

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

ous. Many of the family's species are important ornamental, spice, or medicinal plants. Ornamental genera include the shell gingers (''

Alpinia ''Alpinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Species are native to Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, where they occur in tropical and subtropical climates.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 ...

'', ''

Hedychium ''Hedychium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, native to lightly wooded habitats in Asia. There are approximately 70-80 known species, native to India, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. Some species have become wi ...

'', ''

Kaempferia ''Kaempferia'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family. It is native to China, India, and Southeast Asia. The genus is named after the naturalist and traveller Engelbert Kaempfer, who lived in Japan and east Asia for the years 1689-1693 and wa ...

'', and torch-gingers ('' Etlingera''). Spices include ginger (''

Zingiber officinale Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

''), Thai ginger (''

Alpinia galanga ''Alpinia galanga'', a plant in the ginger family, bears a rhizome used largely as an herb in Unani medicine and as a spice in Southeast Asian cookery. It is one of four plants known as "galangal". Its common names include greater galangal, le ...

'' and others), melegueta pepper (''

Aframomum melegueta Grains of paradise (''Aframomum melegueta'') is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and closely related to cardamom. Its seeds are used as a spice (ground or whole); it imparts a pungent, black-pepper-like flavor with hints of cit ...

''),

myoga or Japanese ginger is the species ''Zingiber mioga'' in the family Zingiberaceae. It is a deciduous herbaceous perennial native to Japan, China, and the southern part of Korea.Cole TCH, Nürnberger "Zingiber mioga and its Cultivars,"''The Plan ...

(''Zingiber mioga''),

korarima ''Aframomum corrorima'' is a species of flowering plant in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is an herbaceous perennial that produces leafy stems 1–2 meters tall from rhizomatous roots. The alternately-arranged leaves are dark green, 10–30 ...

(''Aframomum corrorima''),

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

(''Curcuma''), and cardamom (''

Amomum ''Amomum'' is a genus of plants containing about 111 species native to China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland. It includes several species of cardamom. Plants of this genus are remarkable for their pungency and ...

'' and ''

Elettaria ''Elettaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zingiberaceae. They are native to India and Sri Lanka, but cultivated and naturalized elsewhere. One member of the genus, '' E. cardamomum'', is a commercially important spice used as ...

'' species).

Evolution

The earliest known fossils of the family belong to the

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...

age and are from the genera '' Spirematospermum'' in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

,'' Tricostatocarpon'' and '' Striatornata'' in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and '' Momordiocarpon'' in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. '' Spirematospermum chandlerae'' from the

Santonian The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 86.3 ± 0.7 mya ( million years ago) and 83.6 ± 0.7 m ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

was previously classified in the Zingiberaceae, but more recent studies support it belonging to the

Musaceae Musaceae is a family of flowering plants composed of three genera with about 91 known species, placed in the order Zingiberales. The family is native to the tropics of Africa and Asia. The plants have a large herbaceous growth habit with leaves w ...

Description

Members of the family are small to large herbaceous plants with distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. The plants are either self-supporting or

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

Flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are

hermaphroditic A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

, usually strongly

zygomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spir ...

, in determinate cymose inflorescences, and subtended by conspicuous, spirally arranged bracts. The perianth is composed of two whorls, a fused tubular calyx, and a tubular corolla with one lobe larger than the other two. Flowers typically have two of their stamenoids (sterile

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s) fused to form a petaloid lip, and have only one fertile stamen. The ovary is inferior and topped by two nectaries, the stigma is funnel-shaped. Some genera yield

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

s used in the perfume industry (''

Alpinia ''Alpinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Species are native to Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, where they occur in tropical and subtropical climates.Hedychium ''Hedychium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, native to lightly wooded habitats in Asia. There are approximately 70-80 known species, native to India, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. Some species have become wi ...

'').

Genera

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 ...

accepts the following 58 species:

Taxonomy

Phylogenetic tree of the family

Subdivisions

* Subfamily Siphonochiloideae ** Tribe Siphonochileae *** ''

Siphonochilus ''Siphonochilus'' is a genus of flowering plants native to sub-Saharan Africa.Govaerts, R. (2004). World Checklist of Monocotyledons Database in ACCESS: 1-54382. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Species * ''Siphonochilus a ...

'' * Subfamily Tamijioideae ** Tribe Tamijieae *** ''

Tamijia Tamijia flagellaris is a species of flowering plant in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and the sole member of the genus Tamijia. Endemic to the island of Borneo, this understory herb is notable for its unique morphology and adaptation to shaded ...

'' * Subfamily

Alpinioideae Alpinioideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Zingiberaceae. Tribes & genera Tribe Alpinieae * ''Adelmeria'' * ''Aframomum'' * ''Alpinia'' * ''Amomum'' - synonym ''Elettariopsis'' * ''Aulotandra'' * ''Conamomum'' * ''Cyphostigma'' * ''Elet ...

** Tribe Alpinieae *** ''

Adelmeria ''Adelmeria'' is a genus of perennial herbs in the family Zingiberaceae which are endemic to the Philippines. Previously, ''Adelmeria'' had been considered a synonym of the genus ''Alpinia'', however, after a study showed ''Alpina'' to be highly ...

'' *** ''

Aframomum ''Aframomum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is widespread across tropical Africa as well as on some islands of the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Seychelles, and Mauritius). It is represented by approximately ...

'' -

grains of paradise Grains of paradise (''Aframomum melegueta'') is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and closely related to cardamom. Its seeds are used as a spice (ground or whole); it imparts a pungent, black-pepper-like flavor with hints of cit ...

*** ''

Alpinia ''Alpinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Species are native to Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, where they occur in tropical and subtropical climates.Amomum ''Amomum'' is a genus of plants containing about 111 species native to China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland. It includes several species of cardamom. Plants of this genus are remarkable for their pungency and ...

'' *** '' Aulotandra'' *** '' Cyphostigma'' *** ''

'' *** '' Elettariopsis'' *** '' Etlingera'' *** '' Geocharis'' *** '' Geostachys'' *** ''

Hornstedtia ''Hornstedtia'' is a genus of plants in the Zingiberaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, southern China, New Guinea, Melanesia and Queensland. Species As accepted by Plants of the World Online; References

{{Taxonbar, fro ...

'' *** '' Lanxangia'' *** '' Leptosolena'' *** ''

Plagiostachys ''Plagiostachys'' is a genus of plants in the Zingiberaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that ...

'' *** ''

Renealmia ''Renealmia'' is a plant genus in the family Zingiberaceae. Its members are native to tropical Africa and tropical America (Latin America and the West Indies). In Peru, fruits and tubers are sources of indigenous dyes. and indigenous medical trea ...

'' *** '' Siliquamomum'' *** '' Vanoverberghia'' *** ×''Alpingera'' F. Luc-Cayol (''Alpinia'' × ''Etlingera'') - intergeneric hybrid ** Tribe Riedelieae *** '' Burbidgea'' *** '' Pleuranthodium'' *** '' Riedelia'' *** ''

Siamanthus ''Siamanthus'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It contains only one known species, ''Siamanthus siliquosus'', endemic to Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the ...

'' * Subfamily

Zingiberoideae Zingiberoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Zingiberaceae.Kress JW, Prince LM, Williams KJ (2002) The phylogeny and a new classification of the gingers (Zingiberaceae): evidence from molecular data. ''American Journal of Botany'', 89(10 ...

** Tribe Zingibereae *** ''

Boesenbergia ''Boesenbergia'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family. It contains more than 90 species, native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, etc.). Species ''Plants of the World Online'' ...

'' *** '' Camptandra'' *** '' Caulokaempferia'' *** '' Cautleya'' *** '' Cornukaempferia'' *** ''

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 ...

'' *** '' Curcumorpha'' *** ''

Distichochlamys ''Distichochlamys'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family. It has 4 known species, all endemic to Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with ...

'' *** ''

Haniffia ''Haniffia'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It has 3 known species, native to Thailand and to Peninsular Malaysia. * ''Haniffia albiflora'' K.Larsen & J.Mood – Thailand * ''Haniffia cyanescens'' (Ridl.) Holttum – P ...

'' *** ''

Haplochorema ''Boesenbergia'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family. It contains more than 90 species, native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, etc.). Species ''Plants of the World Online'' ...

'' *** ''

'' *** '' Hitchenia'' *** ''

'' *** '' Kedhalia'' *** '' Laosanthus'' *** '' Myxochlamys'' *** '' Nanochilus'' *** '' Newmania'' *** ''

Parakaempferia ''Parakaempferia'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family. It contains only one known species, ''Parakaempferia synantha'', first described in 1971 and endemic to the Assam region of eastern India India, officially the Republic of I ...

'' *** '' Pommereschea'' *** '' Pyrgophyllum'' *** '' Rhynchanthus'' *** ''

Roscoea ''Roscoea'' is a genus of perennial plants of the family (biology), family Zingiberaceae (the ginger family). While most members of the ginger family are tropical, ''Roscoea'' species are native to cooler mountainous regions of the Himalayas, C ...

'' *** ''

Scaphochlamys ''Scaphochlamys'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family. It is native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Borneo and Malaysia).Searle, R.J. (2010). The genus ''Scaphochlamys'' (Zingiberaceae - Zingibereae): a compendium for the field work ...

'' *** '' Smithatris'' *** ''

Stadiochilus ''Stadiochilus'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family. It contains only one known species, ''Stadiochilus burmanicus'', first described by Rosemary Margaret Smith in 1980 and endemic to Myanmar (Burma Myanmar, officially the Republi ...

'' *** '' Stahlianthus'' *** ''

Zingiber ''Zingiber'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zingiberaceae. It is native to China, the Indian subcontinent, New Guinea, and Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. It contains the true gingers, plants grown the world over for their culi ...

'' ** Tribe Globbeae *** '' Gagnepainia'' *** ''

Globba ''Globba'' is a genus of plants in the ginger family: with delicate flowers, sometimes called "dancing ladies" or "dancing girls ginger". Species are native to the Indian Subcontinent, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago ...

'' *** '' Hemiorchis'' * subfamily unknown ** '' Johoralia'' ** '' Perakalia''

Distribution

The Zingiberaceae have a pantropical distribution in the tropics of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, with their greatest diversity in

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

References

Bibliography

External links

List of Indian medicinal plants
from
Biodiversity of India
'

* Zomlefer, W.B. ''Flowering Plant Families''. The University of North Carolina Press. 1994. {{Authority control Commelinid families Rhizomatous plants Cretaceous plants