Wikimedia Commons
Zingiberaceae
Kahili Ginger
Hedychium gardnerianum
Royal bearing, fragrance, tropical luxury.
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
- Genus
- Hedychium
- Native to
- Himalayas (India, Nepal, Bhutan)
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- Tropical perennial
- Height
- 1.5–2.5 m (5–8 ft)
- Sunlight
- Part shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well-drained
- Water
- High
- Hardiness
- 8–11
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Named for the Hawaiian 'kahili'—the tall feathered standard carried before Polynesian royalty—because the flower spike resembles those ceremonial plumes exactly.
- The fragrance is one of the most powerful in the plant kingdom, often compared to a mix of gardenia, jasmine, and lemon zest, capable of perfuming an entire hillside.
- Each flower lasts only a day, but a single spike can keep producing new blooms for weeks, scattering bright red seed pods after pollination.
- Kahili ginger's seeds are spread by birds, especially the introduced common myna in Hawaii—where the plant has now become a serious invasive species in cloud forests.
- It was the favorite flower of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii, who included it in many of her musical compositions and royal garden plantings.
Color meanings
0
royal bearing
1
fragrance
2
luxury