| Family: Zingiberaceae | | | | garden stores under the name "variegated ginger." In |
| Genus: Alpinia | | | | these typical conditions, the plants are smaller; they |
| Species: zerymbet | | | | reach eight feet in a green house and three to four |
| Synonyms:Alpinia speciosa, Alpinia nutans, Costus | | | | feet tall as a houseplant. |
| zerumbet, Catimbium speciosum, Languas speciosa, | | | | Shell flower gets its name from the individual shell pink |
| Zerumbet speciosum | | | | flowers that droop from the ends of the stems. The |
| Common Names: boca de dragon, colonia, de tui maux, | | | | flowers resemble sea shells. The flowers are fragrant |
| getto, jockey club, light galangal, palo santo, pink | | | | and waxy. |
| porcelain-lily, shellflower, shell ginger, tous maux | | | | Alpinia is a large genus with more than 230 species |
| General Description: The Shell flower is a member of | | | | from the Ginger family (Zingiberaceae). They are in |
| the ginger family that is native to western Asia. It has | | | | demand throughout the world as ornamentals because |
| become an interesting garden perennial throughout the | | | | of their bright, eye-catching flowers. |
| world. It is most commonly cultivated and distributed in | | | | Shell flowers prefer medium wet, well drained soils in |
| the tropics, including Brazil, Peru, the Amazon, and the | | | | full sun to semi-shade. As a house plant, it needs bright |
| USA states of Florida, Hawaii and the territory of | | | | light and humidity. The plants don't produce flowers until |
| Puerto Rico. | | | | the second year. |
| Location: This plant is an evergreen tropical perennial | | | | Uses: The long leaf blades of the Shell flower are |
| with tall clumps of green leaves growing to ten feet tall | | | | used for wrapping zongzi in China; zongzi are Chinese |
| in warm tropical climates. It produces ginger-like | | | | rice dumplings. In Brazilian herbal medicine, Shell flower |
| rhizomes from which the plant grows. This is a | | | | essential oil is a tonic for hypertension and cardiac |
| beautiful plant that is becoming popular as a house | | | | health. This plant has many other uses around the |
| plant because of its tropical appearance. It is also used | | | | world: balsamic, diuretic, colds, flu, fevers, intestinal |
| as a landscape plant in warmer climates. Several | | | | bloating and gas, stomach problems and indigestion. |
| different cultivars are now for sale in United States | | | | |