Hedychium is a rhizomatous, mainly tropical genus in the Zingiberaceae or Ginger family. The genus contains some 40 species of woodland edge plants that normally grow in moist terrain. Many have very attractive flowers, often beautifully perfumed. Common names for the genus include Ginger Lily and Garland Lily, the latter from the use of flowers of the white ginger (Hedychium coronarium) and the yellow gingers (H. flavescens and H. flavum) in Hawaiian floral garlands. Notes by David Victor.
Hedychium 'Carnival' is a Tom Wood hybrid involving the short epiphytic species Hedychium hasseltii which has fragrant pastel orange-yellow flowers & red, sturdy pseudostems to about 4 feet (1.2m). Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium coccineum? Based upon the glaucous foliage and small orange-red flowers this plant appears to be H. coccineum. It's compact, about 3 feet (1m) tall, and reliably blooms in June, much earlier than any other Hedychium. Photos taken June 2007 by Jay Yourch.
Hedychium coccineum var. aurantiacum is a Himalayan species with glaucous foliage & inflorescences of small orange-red flowers. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium coronarium is a very fragrant white-flowered species that typically reaches 5-6' in height & is hardy to zone 7. Photo by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Dave Case' is a hybrid by Tom Wood. It reaches 7' & blooms late summer through the fall. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Daniel Weeks' is a hybrid done by Russell Adams of Hedychium flavescens & Hedychium gardneranum. It is a vigorous fragrant hybrid which is earlier than most to begin flowering. It reaches 6' & is hardy to at least zone 7. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium densiflorum 'Tara' has gray-green foliage and orange flowers in late summer and early autumn. Photo taken October 2007 by Jay Yourch.
Hedychium 'Dr. Moy' is a hybrid of H. flavum × H. coccineum induced by the botanist, Dr. Moy, now retired, while at San Antonio Botanical Garden. It has variegated foliage & fragrant orange-yellow flowers with orange throats on sturdy stems about 5 feet (1.5m) tall. Photos by Alani Davis and Jay Yourch.
Hedychium 'Elizabeth' is hybridized by Tom Wood & has fragrant pink flowers with a salmon butterfly mark mid-summer to fall on 6' stems. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Filigree' a hybrid by Tom Wood involving the short epiphytic species Hedychium hasseltii which gets to about 30" tall & has many fragrant yellow & gold flowers followed by pods that burst open revealing bright orange interiors & scarlet red seeds. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium flavescens is a sturdy Hedychium with arching pseudostems with broad leaves. The light yellow flowers are very fragrant & are hardy to at least zone 7. Photo by Alani Davis.
Hedychium forrestii - A ginger lily named after George Forrest, the famous Scottish plant hunter who operated primarily in Yunnan, China, from where it originates. Growing to some four feet in height, the plant bears very attractive open spikes of white flowers. Photographed at my home, where I grow it in large pots, protecting in a cold greenhouse in the winter when it is dormant. Photo by David Victor.
Hedychium gardnerianum is known as the Kahili Ginger, it originates in the northern India Himalaya. A tall ginger growing to six feet tall in the right setting. In the late summer, this species carries very beautiful flowers, which are very fragrant. Photographed at my home, where I grow it in large pots, protecting in a cold greenhouse in the winter when it is dormant & is hardy to at least zone 7. Photos by David Victor and Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Gold Flame' is a hybrid by Tom Wood. It is reputed to reach 6' in height & hardy to at least zone 7. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Kinkaku' is an old hybrid from Japan with medium fragrant flowers & is hardy to at least zone 7. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Luna Moth' is a hybrid with compact, sturdy stems & large, very fragrant flowers. The name refers to the flowers, which have some resemblance to large & beautiful Luna Moth, Actias luna. Tom Wood, the hybridizer, did not reveal the parents, but it involves the short epiphytic species Hedychium hasseltii & averages around 4' in height. While it has been reported to be tender & difficult to cultivate, it thrives in moist soil & part shade to full & is hardy to at least zone 7. Photos by Jay Yourch & Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Pink Flame' is a hybrid by Tom Wood. It is reputed to reach 6' in height & is hardy to at least zone 7. Photo by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Pink V' is a hybrid by Tom Wood. The name refers the pattern created on the pseudostems by the pigmented margins of the clasping leaf bases & not to the color of the lightly scented flowers which are a peachy-apricot with a darker salmon mark. This hybrid gets to about 7' and is hardy to at least zone 7. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Sherry Baby' is a hybrid by Larry Shatzer. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium spicatum is a species comes from the Himalaya, where it grows to three feet or so tall and bears red and orange flowers. The particular form goes under the cultivar name H. spicatum 'Robustum' and is hardy in my garden down to temperatures of minus ten centigrade. Photo by David Victor.
Hedychium sp. or hybrid is of unknown origins, but appears to be intermediate between Hedychium coronarium & H. thrysiforme. Whether these species are related to the actual origins of this plant is speculative at best. It reaches 5' in height & is hardy to at least zone 8. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium thrysiforme is a fragrant species which produces clusters of many small white flowers & is hardy to at least zone 8. Photos by Alani Davis.
Hedychium 'Vanilla Ice' is a sport of H. 'Dr. Moy' with more dramatic variegation selected by Messenbrink's Nursery of Nashville, North Carolina. The variegation is stable and the plant retains good vigor. Photos by Alani Davis and Jay Yourch.
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