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Peacock Ginger

Kaempferia elegans Wall.

Zingiberaceae

Location in our garden

Principal

Synonym

Kaempferia atrovirens N.E.Br.

Kaempferia crawfurdia Wall. ex Horan.

Kaempferia philippiana (A.Dietr.) K.Schum.

Habitus

Herbaceous. Annual herb, 35-40 cm high

Part Used

  • Leaves
  • Flowers
  • Rhizome

Growing Requirements

  • Need Shade

Habitat

  • Forest
  • Terrestrial
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Overview

Kaempferia elegans comes from China (Sichuan) to Indo-China, Kalimantan. This plant is a good ground cover species with beautiful purple flowers and attractive leaf motifs. Another benefit of this plant is its oil which is used in perfumes, soaps, creams and others.

Vernacular Names

No data found on this. Need further research.

Agroecology

Grows well in partially shaded to fully shaded environments, on a variety of moist, well-drained soils.

Morphology

  • Roots - fibrous.
  • Stems - Succulents contain a lot of water.
  • Leaves - broad elliptical, up to 25 cm in size, with an irregular pattern of dark green and silver bone, parallel leaves, short petioles, leaf margins flat.
  • Flowers - small, about 2 cm, the location of the flower on the stem in the axillary leaf (flos axillaris), light purple has 4 petals.

Cultivation

Propagated by rhizomes and division of tillers in clumps.

Chemical Constituents

No data found on this. Need further research.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

  • Stimulates new cell growth.
  • Treats wounds and treats throat infections.
  • Has carminative, diuretic, expectorant, pectoal properties.

Part Used

Reference Sources

  1. Royal Botanic Gardens. Plants Of the World Online: Kaempferia elegans Wall.. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60468958-2#synonyms. 16-09-22.
  2. Flora Fauna Web. 2021. Kaempferia elegans 'Shazam'. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/1/2163. 16-09-22.
  3. Garden plant. 2022. Peacock Ginger Benefits. https://gardenplants.comparespecies.com/en/peacock-ginger-benefits/model-1949-7. 16-09-22.