Alpinia regia (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Alpinia regia R.M. Smith

Family: Zingiberaceae

Synonyms

• Languas regia Burkill.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: galoba gardamu (Ambon), manoa (Ternate).

Distribution

Indonesia (the Moluccas).

Uses

Flowers are eaten cooked. Leaves are used to pack cooked rice.

Observations

• Robust herb, up to 8 m tall.
• Leaves very large, up to 2.35 m × 0.45 m, slightly pubescent below.
• Flowers white, tubular, labellum oblong, 2 cm × 0.8 cm.

The species is rare and resembles Alpinia novae-hiberniae Burtt & Smith from Papua New Guinea, but all its parts are larger.

Selected sources

44, 83.