Zingiber is a genus in the Zingiberaceae family found in southern & eastern Asia. Most of the genus is tropical & sensitive to frost, though a few species are root hardy to at least zone 8. Species bloom terminally on older stems or basally on stalked inflorescences which emerge directly from the fleshy rhizomes. These cone-shaped inflorescences can be quite colorful and are the source of the common name of pine cone gingers. Most species have highly aromatic foliage and rhizomes which emerge from pseudostems which can be anywhere between 1.5 to 15' tall. Zingiber officinale is common edible ginger root.
Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe is a deciduous perennial native to Japan, Taiwan and China. The young inflorescences are eaten in all of its range, which has spawned commercial growth in New Zealand and Australia. It is one of the hardiest Zingiberaceae (some reports see it hardy to USDA Zone 6), filling places in light shade with its tropical-looking foliage alone in spring and summer. The inflorescences break through the ground in early fall a few centimeters away from the stems, bearing relatively large, short lived flowers just above ground level. The basic form has yellow flowers, but the now common cultivar 'Crûg's Zing', collected by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones on a Korean Island in 1997, adds a pink tinge to a cream background. Photos show a plant of said cultivar grown by Martin Bohnet.
Zingiber zerumbet 'Darceyi' is the variegated form of Zingiber zerumbet. This form is not only more colorful but thankfully somewhat less vigorous than the typical form. Photos by Alani Davis.
