姜花 jiang hua

Hedychium coronarium var. baimao Z. Y. Zhu.

Pseudostems 1--3 m. Leaves sessile; ligule 2--3 cm, membranous; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, 20--40 × 4.5--8 cm, adaxially glabrous, abaxially finely pubescent or thinly hairy, base acute, apex long acuminate. Spikes ellipsoid, 10--20 × 4--8 cm; bracts imbricate, ovate, 4.5--5 × 2.5--4 cm, 2- or 3-flowered. Flowers white, fragrant. Calyx ca. 4 cm, split on 1 side. Corolla tube ca. 8 cm, slender; lobes lanceolate, ca. 5 cm, central one spatulate, apex mucronate. Lateral staminodes oblong-lanceolate, ca. 5 cm. Labellum white, pale yellow at base, obcordate, 4--6 × 4--6 cm, apex 2-cleft. Filament ca. 3 cm; anther ca. 1.5 cm. Ovary sericeous. Fl. Aug--Dec. 2 n = 34.

Forests, also cultivated. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia].

Cultivated as an ornamental and for medicine and aromatic oil.