Friday, April 13, 2012

Crepe Ginger

On August 28, 2011, I posted about "A Wild Flower". I noticed this flower while visiting KUMARBANDHA COLLEGE ( the backyard of the college). I asked the people there, and every one told me that it is a wild flower, native to that region and not of any use. It comes with first rain of the monsoon and by winter it dies away. But I noticed that it is similar to many decorative plants. I brought a couple of samples and grew that in JV. I was keen to popularize a native plant (which is normally written off as "junglee") can be really a high-profile posh indoor plant in bigcities. But could not proceed further.

Today, while browsing the net, I could locate adequate material for this "junglee' plant. This is not really junglee. It is called " CREPE GINGER". Here are some write up for the plant.
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Taken from .. http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/cost_spe.cfm

Description
Crepe ginger is a tall and dramatic landscape plant with large dark green leaves arranged on the stalk in a spiral. This Costus can grow to 10 ft (3.1 m) tall in frost-free areas, but typically grows to about 6 ft (1.8 m) tall in cooler regions where it is root hardy but dies back in winter.

The flowers appear in late summer or early fall, and are quite unusual looking. They form on red 4 in (10.2 cm) cone-shaped bracts, with several 2 in (5 cm) pure white crinkled flowers protruding from each cone. The flowers look like crepe paper - thus the common name of crepe ginger. After the flowers fade away, the attractive red cone-shaped bracts remain.

As beautiful as the species is, there are a number of cultivars of Costus speciosus that are sought after as garden ornamentals. Most are not as hardy as the species and do not grow as tall. The cultivar 'Pink Shadow' is similar to the species but the white flowers are blushed with pink. The cultivar 'Variegatus' has green and white variegated leaves, flowers similar to the species, grows to 5-7 ft (1.5-2.1 m), but is only hardy to zone 9. The cultivar 'Foster Variegated' has reddish stems and broad creamy white striped leaves which are soft and furry to the touch. It only grows to 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and is less likely to flower than the species. The cultivar 'Nova' is a shorter plant, to about 3 ft (0.9 m), and has light green foliage and flowers similar to the species. Another short tetraploid is offered by Stokes Tropicals, and the description is similar to 'Nova'.

NOTE: some taxonomists still classify Costus and related genera in Zingiberaceae, the ginger family.

Location
Costus speciosus is native to the Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia, but it has naturalized in some tropical areas, including Hawaii. It is listed as a potential invasive plant in the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of Palau, and in French Polynesia.

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Usage
Crepe ginger is best used for dramatic effect in a tropical landscape, but also combines well with other tall perennials as a backdrop.

Features
The crepe ginger is beautiful for its bold tropical foliage, and the flowers are just an added bonus. As with most gingers, this plant is easy to grow with virtually no pest problems.

Many gingers have culinary or medicinal uses. This species is not commonly used in western cultures, but the rhizome has been used in India and Southeast Asia to treat boils, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, vertigo, ear, eye, and nose pain, and to stop vomiting.


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Following text taken from-http://www.herbalmedicinefromyourgarden.com/crepe-ginger-health-benefits/


The sap of young leaves and stems can be taken internally for diarrhea, for ear infections and eye infections.

Make a decoction using 30g (1 ounce) of dried rhizome added to 570ml (2.5 US cups, 1 UK pint) of cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, continue heating until the liquid is reduced by half, then strain and bottle, being careful to label with the name of the herb and the date. This may be refrigerated for use within 3-4 days. The dose is up to 1 US cup (240ml, 8 fl oz) per day, split into 3 doses. This can be used to treat coughs and colds, congestion of the nose and lungs, and internal parasites. It can also be used externally to treat skin infections.

In Malaysia, the juice of the rhizome is used as a purgative.

Various studies have found that an extract of the rhizome can be used to lower blood sugar levels, to treat inflammation of the liver, to fight stress, and as an antioxidant. It also increased uterine contractions making it a useful birthing aid where contractions are insufficient. Significant quantities of diosgenin (used to produce artificial hormones such as progesterone) were also found.

Although crepe ginger has a reputation in some areas as an aphrodisiac, no studies have demonstrated this effect.

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In JV, there are three plants in VC quarters.