Zen and the Zingiber -- Plant of the Day: Red Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior)

The Conservatory was very quiet at opening time. The quietness adds to the zen of the relaxing atmosphere. Last week was spring break for many schools in this area, so today marks their first day back in school. I attribute today’s quietness to the return of the school routine. Later in the morning, however, multiple school groups came through on scavenger hunts. The kids seemed to really enjoy looking for a variety of plants and learning how those plants benefit human communities.

Down in the Sunken Garden, the Spring Flower Show has opened and looks absolutely stunning! If you can appreciate a beautiful flower, you will love this show! There are beautiful snapdragons, hyacinths, tulips, irises, sweet smelling lilies, and more. The sweet smell is intoxicating. Come see this beautiful work of art before it's replaced by the next show!

Vanilla Orchid Flower

Back in the North Garden, everything is growing and adding blooms. The vanilla orchid has quite a few new blooms and several buds are preparing to open soon. The orange trees are still producing bunches of oranges.

Pineapple

There is a stem head growing out one of the pineapples in the North Garden. Did you know that pineapples are the only edible Bromeliad? They cannot self-pollinate, so they must have pollinators to help pollinate the plant for fruit to develop. The cacao pods on the chocolate tree (Theobroma cacao) are starting to turn color. You should visit soon and see them before they fall off the chocolate tree (and are then eaten and enjoyed by the compost worms)!

The Plant of the Day is the Red Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior).

Red Torch Ginger

Its not hard to see why this herbaceous perennial plant has the nickname - 'Red Torch' ginger. The sprouting bud looks like a flaming red torch. Its flowers are very showy. Some varieties have pink or white flowers. This plant makes a beautiful addition to any tropically-themed landscape. This is not, however, a good plant for a container garden. A mature red torch ginger can grow up to nine feet inn height with a diameter of two inches! Come see the ones in the North Garden to see what I'm talking about!

The beautiful floral ginger buds are used in showy decorative arrangements. The flower buds are used in many dishes such as the Nonya dish laksa, or, in north Sumatra, for a dish called arsik ikan mas (Andaliman/Szechuan pepper Spiced Carp). It is used in salads in Thailand.

The red torch ginger has many other common names including Indonesian Tall Ginger, Porcelain Rose, Wild Ginger, Torch Ginger and Red Ginger Lily.

For More Information:

http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Torch%20Ginger.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_8268580_grow-red-torch-ginger.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torch_Ginger

http://www.ehow.com/info_8597706_red-torch-ginger-propagation.html