Curcuma longa
Zingiberaceae FAMILY

Curcuma longa

Curcuma longa

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

If the roots are cut the yellow colour will stain fingers or cloth indelibly, and contact may cause an allergic skin reaction in some people.

Botanical Description

Curcuma longa is an erect, strongly tillering, herbaceous, perennial plant growing about 1 metre tall from an underground rhizome. It has a short stem and 6 - 10 tufted leaves about 30 - 50cm long[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. , 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ]. Turmeric is a very common dye plant and is also one of the most common flavourings used in Asian cuisine[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description 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. ]. It is believed to have been first domesticated in South or Southeast Asia and is now widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its use as a spice, dye plant, medicinal plant etc[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. , 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical
Native RangeE. Asia - India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia.
HabitatNot known in a truly wild state, though it appears naturalized in some areas, such as the teak forests of east Java[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ].