Curcuma australasica
Encyclopedia
Curcuma australasica, Native Turmeric, or Cape York Lily, is a rhizomatous herbaceous
perennial plant
of the Zingiberaceae
or ginger
family.
, a few areas in the Northern Territory
, Australia, and in Papua New Guinea
. There are about 50 species of Curcuma in the world, but C. australasica is the only species native to Australia. It is grown for its flowers in Zimbabwe
, and a variety called "Aussie Plume" is grown in the U.S.A which can grow up to 6 ft (1.83 metres) tall.
It is usually less than 500 mm tall, with long green leaves (140-450 x 60-190 mm), pleated. Flowers 15-20 mm., November to March in Queensland, normally yellow on a spike with pink-red-mauve-green bracts. From a capsule within pink-purple bracts. Occasionally a white form is found in the wild - see accompanying photograph.
The Aboriginal Gugu Yimithirr language name is Kumbigi. They ate the roots after roasting. A very beautiful, long-lasting flower found in moist pockets in sandstone areas and in wet woodland and forest areas. Propagate by division. Keep well-watered in summer and dry in winter. Grows well in containers
IUCN Red List
status: not evaluated, but very common and widespread in Queensland.
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
of the Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae, or the Ginger family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, comprising ca. 52 genera and more than 1300 species, distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas.Many species are important...
or ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
family.
Nomenclature
- Curcuma - from the Arabic name for turmeric, kurkum.
- australasica - for Australian.
Description
It occurs on Cape York PeninsulaCape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
, a few areas in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia, and in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. There are about 50 species of Curcuma in the world, but C. australasica is the only species native to Australia. It is grown for its flowers in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, and a variety called "Aussie Plume" is grown in the U.S.A which can grow up to 6 ft (1.83 metres) tall.
It is usually less than 500 mm tall, with long green leaves (140-450 x 60-190 mm), pleated. Flowers 15-20 mm., November to March in Queensland, normally yellow on a spike with pink-red-mauve-green bracts. From a capsule within pink-purple bracts. Occasionally a white form is found in the wild - see accompanying photograph.
The Aboriginal Gugu Yimithirr language name is Kumbigi. They ate the roots after roasting. A very beautiful, long-lasting flower found in moist pockets in sandstone areas and in wet woodland and forest areas. Propagate by division. Keep well-watered in summer and dry in winter. Grows well in containers
IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
status: not evaluated, but very common and widespread in Queensland.
External links
- The International Plant Names Index. http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=796428-1
- Encyclopedia of Life. http://www.eol.org/pages/1122341