RED GINGER. OSTRICH PLUME GINGER
Alpinia purpurata (Vieillard) Schumann
Long rosy red heads among the green leaves are sufficiently suggestive of ostrich plumes to justify this name for the Red Flowering Ginger. The head is made up of large, thin, petal-like bracts and is the conspicuous portion. The true flowers are small and whitish and appear occasionally from behind the bracts. A curious characteristic of this plant is that adventitious plantlets form in the head. These grow easily when planted.
Red Ginger is a native of Malaya. ([Plate XIV])
KAHILI GINGER
Hedychium gardnerianum Roscoe
The local name for this ginger is derived from the kahili, an item that was part of the regalia of early Hawaiian chieftains. A kahili was made from a pole or wand, near the top of which, and at right angles to it, were affixed long wing or tail feathers from certain large birds, forming a cylindrical head. This was carried, like a banner, wherever the chief went, to announce his rank and presence.
The blossoming head of the Ginger called after the kahili shows an obvious resemblance. The small yellow flowers on long, stem-like tubes form a cylinder around the top of the stalk, while the resemblance to feathers is enhanced by long, red, filaments which are very striking against the yellow of the petals. Individual flowers have the general form of the Yellow Ginger, but are much smaller and their color is not creamy, but bright yellow. The flower stalks may be six feet long and rise above the rest of the plant. This species is native to the lower Himalayan region. ([Plate XIV])
WHITE GINGER. GINGER LILY
Hedychium coronarium Koenig
Most romantic of all the Gingers, because of its white, etherial delicacy and enchanting fragrance, the White Ginger blossom is larger and fuller than the yellow, but has the same moth-like form. The petals, however, hold a shimmering, almost crystalline moon-whiteness which seems unearthly. The slender filament rises in the center like an insect antenna. The flowers are lifted in snowy clusters above the lush green of their long leaves, each flower head centered by a smooth, waxen, green bulb made up of the scale-like bracts. Behind each bract a flower bud pushes out. Just before they open these buds are strung into leis which are one of the favorites in the Islands.
The plant will grow to eight feet if the soil is moist. It is a native of tropical Asia. ([Plate XIV])