> > The exception rather than the rule in the family. > > There are HUNDREDS of Zingiberaceace spp that are naturally deciduous. All Kaempferia, all Roscoea, all Cautleya, all curcuma, all hemiorchis, all gagnepainia, all stahlianthus, all Caulokaempferia,all cornukaempferia and a few other genera are entirely made up of decidous spp. In addition numerous Globba, Hedychium, Zingiber, Boesenbergia, etc also are also naturally decidous. The family covers a vast area and in regions with pronounced dry seasons it is the rule rather than the exception. The naturally deciduous spp often have storage tubers of some sort in addition to the rhizome, a feature rarely seen in the evergreen spp. Decidous spp become a rarity from extreme southern thailand throughout Malaysian, Indonesia, New Guinea etc, but are very common throughout areas of India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, etc. There are of course many evergreens to be found in these countries as well. Tim Chapman