Curcuma aurantiaca (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Curcuma aurantiaca v. Zijp

Protologue: Recueil Trav. Bot. Néerl. 12: 345 (1915).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: koneng kalamasu (Sundanese), temu blobo, temu purot (Javanese).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia and Java; possibly also in India.

Uses

Rhizomes are used medicinally for their astringent properties and have a camphor scent. Locally, young inflorescences are eaten as a vegetable in "sayur" (soup).

Observations

• A herb with rhizome not elongated, inside cream-coloured.
• Leaf sheaths to 12 cm long, blades elliptical, 19-50 cm × 8-21 cm, dark green.
• Inflorescence terminal on a leafy shoot, bracts yellow-green, coma bracts red to pink or purple.
• Corolla about 4.5 cm long, orange to orange-yellow; labellum about 2 cm × 1.5 cm, orange with a darker centre, other staminodes straight, orange, anther not spurred.

C. aurantiaca is fairly common in Java, where it is found in teak forest.

Selected sources

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I- Z) pp. 1241-2444.
• Darwis SN, Madjo Indo, A.B.D. & Hasiyah, S., 1991. Tumbuhan obat famili Zingiberaceae [Medicinal plants of the Zingiberaceae]. Seri Pengembangan No. 17. Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Tanaman Industri, Bogor, Indonesia. 103 pp.
• Dulawan, M.J.K. & Soriano, N.R., 1991. Antibacterial property of gatas gatas plant. BSc thesis pharmacy. Manila Central University, the Philippines.
• Holttum, R.E., 1950. The Zingiberaceae of the Malay Peninsula. Gardens' Bulletin, Singapore 13(1): 1-249.
• Prana, M.S., 1983. Pembungaan beberapa jenis temu (Curcuma spp.) [Flowering of some species of temu (Curcuma spp.)]. Pemberitaan Lembaga Penelitian Tanaman Industri 8(4-6): 33-36.
• Sastrapradja, S. & Aminah, S.H., 1970. Factors affecting fruit production in Curcuma species. Annales Bogorienses 5(2): 99-107.
• Valeton, T., 1918. New notes on the Zingiberaceae of Java and the Malayan Archipelago. Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg, Série II, 27: 1-167.

Main genus page

• Curcuma (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• Trimurti H. Wardini & Budi Prakoso