Please help me ID this ginger

This was received in a trade, labeled as "Hidden Ginger"

Here is another

its a kaempferia ginger, otherwise known as a peacock ginger. None of mine have come back from the winter that were planted outside. I also have one in a pot that went dormant over the winter that has not come up yet either, so maybe they are slow to come out of dormancy.

I am not sure of the specfic one that you have, there are several varieties. Here is a link to one http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/53318/index.html

Thanks, TL. I knew it wasn't a Curcuma, but I had no other leads.

it looks like Kaempferia mansonii, there are a lot more Kaempferias out there than most peopple realize. Unfortunately many are overlooked, because people say 'oh, I have peacock ginger' not realizing how different they can be from one another. Wonderful ground cover in a shade garden.
picture is of Kaempferia rotunda 'Silver Diamonds' blooms. It blooms first in the spring and then the foliage appears and the foliage is just as beautiful as the orchid-like blooms.
Liz

Thank you, Ladybird.

Can you tell if they are rot-prone while in winter dormancy? This will help me judge how to manage them in the winter in the greenhouse.

SB

ladybird.....lol

stressbaby, my guess would be yes, because my Rotunda raven loses it's color when it gets too much water.

Yes ma'am you are absolutely correct, no watering in the winter once a plant goes completely dormant in that manner. At the nursery I allow theimpatiens to stay in the pots over the winter to absorb any water that may fall from the sky or a misguided sprinkler. It's worked for 3 years now. I just pull out the impatiens when the gingers begin sprouting, then fertilze and begin normal irrigation. During the summer I allow the impatiens to remain in some of the larger plants, they are a great watering indicator for those plants that don't wilt even when thirsty. Richard considers them weeds, but I love them, and they actuall help keep the actual weeds to a minimum if they are in a pot.

Sorry about bungling the name, Birdlady_Liz! ;-)

Thanks for the help!

no prob... I like Ladybird, like Ladtbird Johnson :-)
Liz

i think this one could be the same kind. i wasn't sure of the name either except a peacock ginger
i planted it under a mango tree last year and forgot about it i actually thought it died but finally it has popped up.

all Kaempferias seem to be referred to as peacock ginger. Yours looks like Kaempferia hybrid 'Alva', John Banta's cross. The leaves get much larger than K. pulchra 'Silver Spot' and the blooms have a kind of pink iridescent sheen over the lavender blooms. I LOVE IT! John has some awesome Kaempferia hybrids, as does Jim Conyers. I got some new plants from both of them last week when we were in Alva (Ft. Myers area). Got some really nice pictures at Jim's place.
Liz
This is one of my Alva's

New LARGE leaf

Kaempferia [ulchra 'Silver Spot'

Kaempferia grande'

Kaempferia grande' blooms (before foliage emerges). John just told me that it can also bloom again in August, like Kaempferia rex does. I have had Kaempferia rotunda 'Raven' bloom agin later in the summer, even though it is known for only blooming in the spring before the foliage emerges.

This is a picture of one of ourKaempferia hybrids that colored out nicely this year. I really like it.