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Hedychium gracile

Common name:		Family:	Zingiberaceae
Author:	Roxb.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - India.
Habitat:	Moist places and on forest edges[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	gracile = thin, slender
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Zingiberales. Ginger family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower in September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Condiment.

Used as a spice[177]. No more details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a rich moist soil and a sunny position[233]. It can be grown in a sunny border as a summer sub-tropical bedding plant[[1].
Plants are not very hardy, they tolerate temperatures down to about -2° c and can be grown at the foot of a south-facing wall in the milder areas of Britain if given a good mulch in the winter[1, 200].
The flowers are sweetly scented, the scent being most pronounced towards evening[245].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
The tubers should be only just covered in soil[233].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse at 18° c[200]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter in the greenhouse. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts.
Division as growth commences in the spring[200]. Dig up the clump and divide it with a sharp spade or knife, making sure that each division has a growing shoot. Larger clumps can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a greenhouse until they are established. Plant them out in the summer or late in the following spring.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are sweetlyscented, the scent being most pronounced towards evening.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Zingiberaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Hedychium+gracile
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Hedychium+gracile

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.