Volume 16 > Part 2 > Year 2023 > Page 729 > Zingiberaceae > Zingiber

43. Zingiber purpureum Roscoewfo-0000617751

Trans. Linn. Soc. London 8: 348. 1807; Bai et al., Taxon 68(6): 1344. 2020. Plate LXXXVII: C.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Synonyms & Citations :

Description : Rhizomatous herb with erect shoots 1–1.8 cm tall, whole plant strong-smelling. Leaf sheaths green, glabrous; ligule bilobed, lobes apiculate, 1–2 mm long, pubescent along margin; blades linear, 26–30 by 2.8–3 cm, glabrous, green on both surfaces, base obtuse to subcordate, apex acuminate; petiole sessile or subsessile, 2–8 mm long abaxially, lustrous, glabrous or with hairs. Inflorescences 2–4, radical with erect peduncle; peduncle 15–24 cm long with 5–7 sheaths, pubescent; spike ca 10 by 3.5–4.5 cm; bracts ovate, 3–3.5 cm long brownish maroon with green papery edges, pubescent; apex acute; bracteoles ca 3.2 by 2.2 cm, pubescent on upper surface, glabrous on lower surface. Flower: ovary pubescent, ovules 13–14 per locule; calyx 1.8–1.9 cm long, pubescent, lobes ca 1 cm long, glabrous, apex tridentate with comose trichomes; corolla cream, floral tube ca 3.6 cm long, glabrous, dorsal corolla lobe ca 2.6 by 1.3 cm, lateral corolla lobes ca 2.5 by 0.8 cm; labellum distinctly lobed, midlobe very wide, fan-shaped, ca 2.2 by 2.9 cm, side lobes rounded or ellipsoid, ca 5 by 6–7 mm; stamen: anther cream, appendage ca 1.2 cm long, cream. Fruit unknown.

Thailand : Cultivated throughout the country.

Distribution : Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, China, the Philippines.

Ecology : Flowering: June–September.

Vernacular : Pu loi (ปูลอย), pu loei (ปูเลย), phlai (ไพล), min salang (มิ้นสะล่าง), wan fai (ว่านไฟ).

Uses: Commonly cultivated as a medicinal plant in tropical and subtropical areas. Used as folk medicine and the source of many medical products, in particular for muscle pain and disorders.