Zingiberaceae Martinov

Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Morphology General Habit

Perennial often large-sized, aromatic herbs, with rhizomes; indument composed of simple to stellate hairs

Morphology Stem

Stems terete, straight

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, distichous, with open sheaths and a very small, truncate ligule

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence generally a terminal panicle, mostly on a separate leafless shoot; bracts mostly herbaceous to membranous, often soon falling off, each subtending 1-10 flowers; bracteole herbaceous, tubular and closed before anthesis, sometimes cup-shaped and open even before anthesis

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers zygomorphic; calyx tubular, turbinate, or urceolate, 3- lobed; petals 3, connate into a distinct tube; fertile stamen 1, with a very short filament, anther 1; labellum equaling the corolla, basal part narrowed, with 2 minute tooth-like lateral staminodes, apical part 3- lobed, tubular or horizontally spreading; style 1, filiform, lying close to the stamen and embraced by the thecae, stigma 1, cup-shaped; ovary inferior, 3-locular, with nectarial glands around the base of the style, placentation axile, ovules many, anatropous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit an often red to black capsule, 3-locular, mostly crowned by the persistent calyx, longitudinally and loculicidally dehiscent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds many, ellipsoid, with a large, yellow, orange, or white aril, glossy brown.

Diagnostic

Leaf sheaths striate to reticulate or sometimes smooth, often beset with minute stellate hairs. Inflorescence generally a panicle, but sometimes a raceme or spike, sometimes terminal on a leafy shoot. In several species the basalinflorescence trails on the ground. Key differences from similar families: Zingiberaceae differ from Costaceae in having: Aromatic leaves. Open leaf sheaths. Distinguishing characters (always present): Aromatic herbs. Indument composed of simple to stellate hairs. Leaves distichous, with a very small, truncateligule and an open sheath. Inflorescence generally a bracteate panicle. Flowers zygomorphic. Stamen 1. Labellum more or less the same size as the petals, basal part narrowed, apical part tubular to spreading. Fruit a capsule, 3-locular, mostly crowned by the persistentcalyx, longitudinally and loculicidally dehiscent.

Note

Number of genera: 1 genus: Renealmia (60 spp.). Notes on delimitation: Zingiberaceae belong to the order of Zingiberales. Neotropical Zingiberaceae can be distinguished from all other families in this order by being aromatic and in having an indument often composed of stellate hairs. Aframomum melegueta K.Schum. is cultivated in the Guianas for its spicy fruit. Several species of Curcuma and Zingiber are cultivated for their spicy rhizomes. Hedychium coronarium J.Koenig is naturalized all over the Neotropics, and in the Andes it is even a pest, replacing the original vegetation along roads. The other genera are cultivated as ornamentals, 2 important species being Alpinia purpurata K.Schum. and Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M. Sm.

Distribution

Aframomum K.Schum. - cultivated. Alpinia Roxb. - cultivated. Boesenbergia Kuntze - cultivated. Curcuma L. - cultivated and sometimes naturalized (C. xanthorrhiza). Etlingera Giseke - cultivated. Hedychium J.Koenig - cultivated, but often naturalized (H. coronarium). Kaempferia L. - cultivated. Renealmia - Native. Zingiber Boehm. - cultivated. Family:  from Mexico in the North to Bolivia and S Brazil in the South, also present in the West Indian Islands. Renealmia L.f. is the only native genus in the Neotropics.

Zingiberaceae, F.N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herbs, usually aromatic, with horizontal tuberous rhizomes; stems sometimes very short, leafy or bearing only flowers

Morphology Leaves

Leaves in two rows or spirally arranged, with an open or closed sheath, sessile or stalked on the sheath, the blade usually large with numerous closely parallel pinnate nerves diverging obliquely from the midrib

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers solitary or in a distinct inflorescence accompanying or separate from the leaves, mostly bisexual, symmetric or asymmetric

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth

Perianth 6-merous, 2-seriate, the outer calyx-like, the inner corolla-like and often very showy and delicate; outer segments united into a tube, inner more or less united, the posterior segment usually the largest

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamen 1, with a 2-locular anther, sometimes accompanied by petaloid staminodes which may form the conspicuous part of the flower (see Fig. 341)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovules mostly numerous Ovary inferior, (2-)3-celled with axile placentas, or 1-locular with parietal or rarely basal placentas; style sometimes enveloped in a groove of the fertile stamen

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit fleshy and indehiscent or a capsule

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds mostly arillate; endosperm abundant, white

Timothy Utteridge & Gemma Bramley (2020). The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook, Second Edition. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Note

Large rhizomatous herbs, often aromatic. Leaves 2-ranked, sheath usually open and bearing an open ligule. Tepals fused into a tube (at least at base), only 1 fertile stamen; ovary inferior.

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Costaceae: leaves spiral, sheaths with a closed ligule, 1 functional bithecate stamen. Marantaceae: has pulvinus, leaves not 2 ranked, usually asymmetric, flowers in pairs. Musaceae: cormous, large herbs with spiral leaves, flowers in clusters, fertile stamens 6 or 5 plus 1 staminode. Cannaceae: inflorescences terminal, flowers in cincinnate clusters, fertile stamens (1–)2–5, ovary and capsule with short fleshy trichomes. Heliconiaceae: flowers in fascicles in the axils of bracts, fertile stamens 5, fruit a drupe.

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, large, usually rhizomatous, often aromatic. Hairs present or absent, simple or branched

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 2-ranked, with an open sheath, open ligule usually present on leaf sheath, sheaths together form pseudostem; pulvinus absent, blade usually absent on lower leaves, rolled when young

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences terminal on either a leafy or specialised shoot, unbranched

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Tepals fused into a tube, at least at base, outer whorl (calyx) usually 3-toothed or lobed, inner whorl 3-lobed, only 1 fertile stamen, the others petaloid staminodia

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary inferior, 1-or 3-locular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a dry to fleshy, dehiscent to indehiscent capsule lacking fleshy trichomes.

Distribution

57 genera and c. 1,300 species, pantropical but with only 1 genus in the Americas (Renealmia) and diversity concentrated in South and South-East Asia.

Description Author

Paul Wilkin