Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Zingiberales

Zingiberaceae - Ginger family

Lock, J.M. (1985) Zingiberaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa

Lock, J.M. (2010) Zingiberaceae Flora Zambesiaca 13(4) 120-140

Description of the family

Perennial herbs, usually with creeping rhizomes. Leaves alternate and 2-rowed, with a sheath enclosing the stem. Lamina relatively broad (for monocotyledons), narrowing into a false petiole. Inflorescence racemose. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 3-merous. Calyx tubular or spathaceous. Petals 3, fused into a perianth tube below. Androecium composed of a single, often petaloid, stamen, and a large petaloid variously lobed labellum formed from 2 fused staminodes. Ovary inferior, 3-locular. Style and stigma 1.

Worldwide: 52 genera and 1,100 species, tropical, especially Indomalesia.

Zimbabwe: 7 cultivated genera and 12 cultivated taxa.

Links to cultivated genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Alpinia Roxb.	Description
Curcuma L.	Description
Elettaria Maton	Description
Globba L.	Description, Image
Hedychium J. König	Description, Image
Kaempferia L.
Zingiber Boehm.	Description

Other sources of information about Zingiberaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Malawi: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Zingiberaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Zingiberaceae
Flora of Zambia: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Zingiberaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Zingiberaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Zingiberaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Zingiberaceae
Wikipedia: Zingiberaceae