Alpinia galanga
Alpinia galanga
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Alpinia galanga is a plant for the warmer tropics, preferring high humidity and a temperature that does not fall below 15°c[1]. It is found at elevations up to 1,200 metres[2]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 27 - 32°c, but can tolerate 20 - 36°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,500 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 2,000 - 3,700mm[2]. Prefers a well-drained, humus-rich soil and a position in partial shade[1]. Succeeds in full sun and can tolerate some drought[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 6.8[2]. The rhizome develops quickly and reaches its best harvest quality 3 months after planting[2]. Plants can spread rampantly when growing in suitable conditions[3].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as ripe[4]. Sow in containers and keep at around 20c[4]. Division of the rootstock as new growth begins[1]. Very easy. Shoots from pieces of galanga rhizome emerge about 1 week after planting; within 4 weeks 2 - 3 leaves have developed[5]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Alpinia+galanga>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
- [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [3]Tropical Food Gardens — Norrington. L. · Bloomings Books (Melbourne) · 2001 · ISBN 1-876473-41-x ↩︎Excellent little book giving some basic information on a range of plants.
- [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · 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.
- [5]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
- [7]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
- [8]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
- [9]Medicinal Plants in Vietnam — Nguyen Van Dan & Doan Thi Nhu · World Health Organisation · 1989 · ISBN 92 9061 101 4 ↩︎An excellent book, giving information on over 200 plants, their medicinal compounds and applications.
- [10]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region