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Alpinia zerumbet
Also called Pink porcelain lily, Shell ginger, Shell plant, Shellflower, Light Galangal, Shell Flower
In Singapore: Shell Ginger, Shell Flower, Light Galangal, Pink Porcelain Lily, Variegated Shell Ginger, Variegated Pink Porcelain Lily (Cultivated in Singapore)
Shellplant is a rhizomatous, evergreen tropical perennial ginger grown for its striking pink and white funnel-shaped flowers and tall, lush foliage. Give it rich, moist but well-drained soil and bright light, with afternoon shade in hot climates.
Alpinia zerumbet, commonly known as shell ginger among other names, is a perennial species of ginger native to East Asia. The plants can grow up to 2.5 to 3 meters (8 to 10 ft) tall and bear colorful funnel-shaped flowers. They are grown as ornamentals and their leaves are used in cuisine and traditional medicine.
Alpinia zerumbet is best grown in rich medium-wet, to wet well drained soils in full sun to part shade. Afternoon shade in hot summer climates, is recommended. Indoors, the plant must have bright light and humid conditions. Flowering rarely occurs before the second year.
The long leaf blades of A. zerumbet are used for wrapping zongzi, a traditional Chinese dish made of rice stuffed with different fillings. In Okinawa, Japan, its leaves are sold for making an herbal tea and are also used to flavor noodles and wrap muchi rice cakes.
Wild ginger · Greater galangal · Alpinia malaccensis · Black Fruited Galanga · Lesser galangal · Red ginger · Ginger Lilies
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alpinia zerumbet by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
