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Alpinia galanga
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Family:
ZINGIBERACEAE
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Citation: Alpinia galanga (L.) Sw., Obs. Bot. 2. 1791; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 253. 1892; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1492(1042). 1928; Mohanan, Fl. Quilon Dist. 404. 1984; Antony, Syst. Stud. Fl. Kottayam Dist. 389. 1989; Sabu, Taxonomic Phylogenetic Stud. Zingiberac. 112. 1991; M. Mohanan & Henry, Fl. Thiruvanthapuram 475. 1994; Subram., Fl. Thenmala Div. 380. 1995; Mangaly & Sabu, Rheedea 2: 43. 1992; Sasidh., Fl. Periyar Tiger Reserve 445. 1998; Sabu, Zingiberaceae and Costaceae of South India 57. 2006; Sunil & Sivadasan, Fl. Alappuzha Dist. 682. 2009.
Maranta galanga L., Sp. Pl. 3. 1762.
Alpinia rheedei Wight, Ic. t. 2026. 1853.
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Malayalam Name(s):
Aratha, Kolaratha, Kolinji, Pararatha
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Tamil name(s):
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English name(s):
Java galangal, Siamese ginger, Greater galang
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Description:
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 2-2.5 x 0.5-0.8 cm, membranous; bracteoles c. 1.5 cm long. Calyx c. 1 cm long, cylindrical, split on one side, greenish-white. Corolla tube c. 1.2 cm long, greenish-white; lobes unequal, spreading, pubescent. Labellum c. 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.
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Habit:
Herb
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Flowering & Fruiting:
April-December
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District(s):
Kottayam, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kollam, Idukki, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Wayanad, Ernakulam, Kannur
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Medicinal:
Yes
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Habitat:
Widely cultivated
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Distribution:
Cultivated throughout SE Asia
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Aquatic:
No
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Epiphyte(s):
No
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Saprophyte:
No
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Stem parasite:
No
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Root parasite:
No
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Flower colour(s):
White
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Weed:
No
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Monocot/Dicot:
Monocotyledonous Plants
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Exotic:
No
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Garden:
No
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Edible:
No
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Vegetable:
No
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Endemic to:
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IUCN status:
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Altitude:
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Localities:
KFRI garden, Thannikkudy, Vandalodu, Thiruvambadi
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