Hedychium stenopetalum

Hedychium stenopetalum G.Lodd., Bot. Cab. 20(1): t. 1902 (1833).

Hedychium stenopetalum G.Lodd., Photo by Nguyen Danh Duc

its native range is Bhutan to Indo-China. 

Vietnamese name: 

Ngải tiên rừng

English name:

Slenderpetal ginger, White star ginger, White stars ginger, Giant butterfly lily.

Latin Name: 

Hedychium stenopetalum G.Lodd.

Synonym Name: 

Hedychium barbatum Wall.

Family: 

Zingiberaceae

Description: 

Cultivation

Hedychium stenopetalum is  the giant amongst the Butterfly Gingers.  In the wild in can be seen reaching up to 10′ in height.  In cultivation it is often a bit shorter but still towering over most other Butterfly gingers.  Hedychium stenopetalum is a wide spread species occuring throughout the Himalayan foothills.  Our cultivar is of Northeast Indian origin.   This species has a very long inflorescense with small white elegant flowers.  Due to the large size this is not recommended for those with short summer seasons as it may not easily reach maturity in time to bloom before cold weather sets in.   The foliage is large as well and has a nice rippled texture to it.

Flowers: 

July – August.

Distribution: 

Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam (Konktu Village, KonTum).

Ecological: 

Chemical constituents and Pharmacology:

α-pinene (52.5%) and β-pinene (31.8%) were present in the leaf oil of Hedychium stenopetalum Lodd., while linalool (45.2%), (E)-nerolidol (8.7%) and α-pinene (5.0%) were identified in the root.  

A glycoside, syringetin 3-rhamnoside was isolated from H. stenopetalum. The major compounds in the rhizome essential oils of H. stenopetalum were β-pinene, linalool and 1,8-cineole

Cultivation:

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Choose a sheltered, frost-free site. Mulch before winter. Best to overwinter container plants indoors. Under glass, grow in loam-based compost in bright indirect light.

Uses:

Typus:

References

https://www.ipni.org/n/796896-1

http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:796896-1

https://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/hedychium-stenopetalum

https://gingerwoodnursery.com/product/hedychium-stenopetalum-giant-white-butterfly/

Bui Van Thanh, Do N Dai, Tran D Thang,corresponding author Nguyen Q Binh, Luu D Ngoc Anh, and Isiaka A Ogunwande; Composition of essential oils of four Hedychium species from Vietnam; Chem Cent J. 2014; 8: 54.