Kolinchi, Valiya-aratha
Scientific Name :
Alpinia galanga (L.) Sw.
Synonym(s) :
Maranta galanga L.
Local/Common name(s) :
Kolinchi, Valiya-aratha
Family :
Zingiberaceae
Habit :
Herb
Flowering/Fruiting Time :
April-December
Habitat :
Widely cultivated
Endemic :
No
Status (IUCN) :
Distribution :
Cultivated throughout South East Asia
Nativity :
Indigenous
Uses :
Medicinal
Description (Morphology) :
Aromatic perennial herb; root stock cylindric. Leafy stem to 2 m high, many. Leaves 40-65 x 8-13 cm, oblong-lanceolate, apex acute, base cuneate; petiole c. 5 mm long; ligule 6-7 mm long. Inflorescence terminal on the leaf shoot, dense-flowered; peduncle densely pubescent. Flowers c. 4 cm long, shortly pedicellate; bracts membranous; bracteoles 1.5 cm long. Calyx c. 1 cm long, cylindrical, split on one side, greenish-white. Corolla tube 1.2 cm long, greenish-white; lobes unequal, spreading, pubescent. Labellum 2 cm long, white, with a few oblique, lilac lines on either side of the midrib on the upper surface, base clawed, margins wavy, apex emarginate. Lateral staminodes 4-5 mm long, subulate. Anther 6-8 mm long; filament 1.2-1.5 cm long. Epigynous glands 2. Ovary 3 mm long, ellipsoid. Fruit 1 cm across, globose, orange-red.