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Hedychium spicatum

Common name:		Family:	Zingiberaceae
Author:	Buch.-Ham.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas.
Habitat:	Forest clearings, shrubberies, 1800 - 2800 metres[90] from Himachal Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Sanna [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	spica = spike spicatum = in spikes
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Zingiberales. Ginger family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.5m by 0.7m . It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower in October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 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

Fruit.

Fruit - cooked[177]. Eaten in savoury dishes with lentils[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Carminative Digestive Emmenagogue Expectorant Stimulant Stomachic Tonic Vasodilator.

The rootstock is carminative, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic and tonic[240, 243]. It is useful in the treatment of liver complaints, and is also used in treating fevers, vomiting, diarrhoea, inflammation, pains and snake bite[240, 243, 272].
The root is used in Tibetan medicine, it is said to have an acrid taste and heating potency[241]. It is digestive, stomachic and vasodilator[241]. It is used in the treatment of indigestion and poor circulation due to thickening of the blood[241].

Other Uses

Essential Incense.

The rootstock yields 4% essential oil[240]. This oil, which has a scent somewhat like hyacinths, is so powerful that a single drop will render clothes highly perfumed for a considerable period[245].
The dried root is burnt as an incense[245].

Cultivation details

Requires a rich moist soil and a sunny position[233]. They can be grown in a sunny border as a summer sub-tropical bedding plant[[1].
Plants are not very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -2° c. They can be grown at the foot of a south-facing wall if given a good mulch in the winter[1, 200]. Plants succeed outdoors in Tresco Gardens, Isles of Scilly. This species succeeds outdoors in most parts of S. England, especially if the rhizomes are mulched with dry leaves in the autumn[90]. Plants have been known to withstand temperatures down to -16° c in Germany[214].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
The tubers should only just be covered with soil[233].
The flowers are sweetly scented, the scent being most pronounced towards evening[245].
Both the bruised and the dried root are very aromatic with a fragrant, somewhat pungent smell that is similar to orris root but more powerful[245].

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

Root: Crushed Dried: Both the bruised and the dried root are very aromatic with a fragrant, somewhat pungent smell similar to orris root but more powerful.
Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are sweetly scented, 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

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[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]).

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[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.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[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.

[214] Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994 ISBN 1352-4186
A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Himalayacalamus hookerianus, hardy Euphorbias and an excellent article on Hippophae spp.

[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.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[241] Tsarong. Tsewang. J. Tibetan Medicinal Plants Tibetan Medical Publications, India 1994 ISBN 81-900489-0-2
A nice little pocket guide to the subject with photographs of 95 species and brief comments on their uses.

[243] Medicinal Plants of Nepal Dept. of Medicinal Plants. Nepal. 1993
Terse details of the medicinal properties of Nepalese plants, including cultivated species and a few imported herbs.

[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.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

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
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