The genus was erected by the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh in 1810, and published in the journal Asiatic Researches.[4] It is named after Prospero Alpini, a 17th-century Italian botanist who specialized in exotic plants.[5] Species of the genus are known generally as shell gingers.[3][6]
Alpinia hainanensis 'Shengzhen'
Alpinia hainanensis 'Shengzhen'
Description
These herbs lack true stems, but have pseudostems usually up to about 3 metres (9.8 ft) long which are composed of the overlapping leaf sheaths.[2][3] A few species have been known to reach 8 metres (26 ft).[7] They grow from thick rhizomes. The leaves are lance-shaped to oblong. The inflorescence takes the form of a spike, a panicle, or a raceme. It may be hooded in bracts and bracteoles. The flower has a shallowly toothed calyx which is sometimes split on one side. The flower corolla is a cylindrical tube with three lobes at the mouth, the middle lobe larger and hoodlike in some taxa. There is one fertile stamen and two staminodes, which are often joined into a petal-like labellum, a structure that is inconspicuous in some species and quite showy in others. The fruit is a rounded, dry or fleshy capsule.[2][3] The plants are generally aromatic due to their essential oils.[8]
Species
This is the largest genus in the ginger family,[7] with 248 species and 2 hybrids accepted by Plants of the World Online as of 27 June 2024[update].[1] A number of those are commonly grown for their flowers, including red ginger, and others are used as spices, including Galangal.
Most Alpinia are plants of forest understory habitat. Most are pollinated by large bees, but some are pollinated by birds and bats.[7]
Uses
According to a research team of National Chung Hsing University, Alpinia was found to have anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, anti-tumor and other effects.[9]
