Wikimedia Commons
Zingiberaceae
Shell Ginger
Alpinia zerumbet
Strength, longevity, hospitality.
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
- Genus
- Alpinia
- Native to
- East Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- Tropical perennial
- Height
- 1.5–3 m
- Sunlight
- Part shade to full sun
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 8–11
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- The flower buds look exactly like little porcelain seashells — pearly white with a yellow-and-red center that's revealed when they open.
- In Okinawa, Japan, shell ginger is called 'getto' and the leaves are used to wrap sweet rice cakes for traditional Buddhist festivals; the residents of Okinawa are famous for their longevity, and shell ginger tea is one of their daily wellness drinks.
- Shell ginger is closely related to culinary ginger but the rhizomes aren't typically eaten — it's grown more for its dramatic foliage and elegant flowers.
- The scientific name honors Prospero Alpini, a 16th-century Italian botanist who first introduced coffee plants to Europe.
- In Hawaii, shell ginger is one of the most popular tropical landscape plants, and the lemony-eucalyptus-scented leaves are sometimes used in traditional Hawaiian cooking.
Color meanings
White
Welcoming home