Are the roots of the White Butterfly Ginger Hedychium Plant Edible - I have been asked this question and I don't want to mislead anypone I tried to look it up on Google. I did not find a satisfactory answer.
Are the roots of White Butterfly Gingers Edible??
I've wondered this too and wasn't able to find out and have yet to just try it.
Which gingers are edible?
All Gingers are edible. Some are just better than others. Curcuna Longa is one that is used for it's root.
Some parts of most gingers are edible.
Curcuma longa is the source of the spice known as turmeric (aka tumeric)
The edible root ginger is Zingiber officinale
Very Interesting - thanks so much. wouldn't want anyone to get poisoned.
i think the unopened inflorescences of curcuma alismatifolia are also used while they are still young and tender. these are fried in stir fry i think
Thanks, guys! Good to know! I make this drink that I saw on Oprah that Dr. Oz recommended. It has uncooked spinach, cucumber, celery, lemon, and some ginger root all in a blender with ice, and it's really not bad.
i have a book that tells which ones are used and what parts and how
Cool! What a good idea!
What's the title of the book and the author?
it is called
Ornamental gingers
a guide to selection and cultivation
it is by timothy sean chapman and its from way back in 1995
Thanks! :~)
your welcome i got it from a lady at a nursery who was so happy that a person my age was interested in plants and not afraid to be
You must be young, if you think 1995 is way back.
i was four then
Wow, someone younger then me! I'm 29 and don't think I've seen anyone who mentioned their age that's younger then me.
there's one other... FoxtailFavPalm hes like 15 16 or 17 he's usually on the palms and cycads forum i just turned 17
I'm glad to see that there are young people interested in gardening. Too many people I know your age would look at you as if you were insane if you told them you wanted them to dig in the dirt.
COOL!
It makes my old heart so glad to see younger gardeners :~)
I have tried to find a copy of the book, it's out of print. Nothing on eBay or Amazon, I did find one web site that lists it, but it is apparently out of stock there.
by the time people get to know me, and find out that i liked plants, they already know that insane looks are nothing new to me. i get them all the time! lol
I have often wished that my interest had some kind of a boost and that I eventually took horticulture and landscaping and opened a nursery and garden center.
I don't think I thought of myself as being successful at anything when I was young; just no ambition, tenacity, resourcefulness. Daydreaming doesn't work, lol. Neither does being raised in hotel with nothing to do.
Can anyone tell me how to get mine to bloom? They were given to me by Tropicana and are growing well. She mentioned morning sun but other than that I don't have a clue. I gave them a shot of super phosphates because our soil is low in phosphates but that's all.
Also, how do I winter them over? It's too cold here to leave them in the ground. Do I cut them down and save the root?
Have a little patience with them woodspirit1, ours haven't bloomed yet this year either. They do like a good loose soil with lots of organic matter worked in - and - don't skimp on the water when it gets hot and dry.
You can wait for the top to die back naturally, dig the dormant rhizome and store it in a cool dry place, or pot it and let it stay dormant until spring, just keep it from freezing.
thanks, Maggie. It looks very healthy so I suppose it will be fine. thank you everyone.
Just this week my first one has started to open, they are late bloomers. They may be especially slow this year because of the drought. I have a fairly large bed of them and last year they were very late also and the bloom clusters were smaller than usual. We have been on watering restrictions for several years now. I leave them in the ground here in zone 7b.
In researching Hedychium Coronarium Ginger lily...I see zone 8a...I am on the cusp of 7b. So my question is this, to plant in ground ? SW side with heavy winter mulch or should I pot as a House plant that lives outdoors, except when freezes come, then pull to unheated sun room, or should I keep indoors as a house plant in winter. I was sent a lovely few plants and don/'t want them to die ...so
I think I would just mulch them for winter. They should die back to rest. They would not make good houseplants as they need sun and get to be about 6ft tall. If you have several,, try digging one up and store the rhizome for winter.
1cros4nails,
Are you going to go to college? With your enthusiasm, it would be a shame if you didn't find your way into horticulture or botany. :)
I agree with other posters, it is wonderful to see someone at your age who takes such delight in gardening. :)
-Joe
yes I definitely plan on going to college
What for Landscaping? I am 45 from the old school but I love gardening and I am so glad to hear that it is the Curcuna Longa that is the one that is grown for it's root.
James
I was given some white butterfly ginger. Live in the Piedmont area of NC (7a but last 2-3 years have been more like 7b) (I do have some plants outside that are zone 8 that have survived a few years)....anyway. these gingers fill a 14"-16" pot, and are about 3' tall. Should I have a hole dug and plant them outside or bring'em in or what??
Thanks for any helpful hints,
Sheri
Here's some info about
Zingiber officinale which is the most common culinary ginger root
http://www.floridata.com/ref/Z/zing_off.cfm
Curcuma longa is the source of the spice Turmeric (aka Tumeric)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric
did you find the book on ornamental gingers? If you can't get it in a bookshop or on eBay, your library and order an interlibrary loan for you. All it takes is a library card and the cost of postage.