Curcuma petiolata is a plant 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.

It is native to Thailand and Malaysia.

Average height 2–3 feet. Flowers cone-shaped, golden-yellow, pink, white, or purple. Blooms June-August. Fertile bract

Bract

In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...

s green, coma bracts poinkish white. Leaves glossy with raised veins, 14 inches long, 5 inches wide. Petioles

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...

 4-6 inches long.

Pests include mealybug

Mealybug

Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. They are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and subtropical trees and also acts as a vector for several plant diseases.-Distribution:Mealybugs...

s.

It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant for its beautiful flowers. Emperor selection is grown for its attractive variegated foliage

Variegation

Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves, and sometimes the stems, of plants. This may be due to a number of causes...

 as well as its flowers.

Synonyms include: Curcuma cordifolia Roxb., nom. nud.

Nomen nudum

The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...

; Curcuma cordata Wall.

External links