Kaempferia rotunda (Peacock Ginger, Bhumi Champa) in 9 L Air-Pot Container

Family: Zingiberaceae (includes gingers, galangals, and turnerics)
Genus: Kaempferia (includes Thai black ginger)

Botanical/Binomial Name: Kaempferia rotunda
Meaning of Name:
Kaempferia, for Engelbert Kaempfer (1651–1716), a German naturalist, physician, explorer and writer who lived in Japan and east Asia from 1689-1693, writing of their native plants whilst there; and
rotunda, from Latin rotunda (feminine singular of rotundus, ‘round, spherical’): a reference to the shape of the tubers

Common Names: Peacock Ginger, Bhumi Champa, Indian Crocus, Round-rooted Galangale

Botanical Characteristics: Herbaceous | Perennial | Rhizomatous | Frost tender
Propagation: Division of rhizomes

Item Description:
PICK-UP ONLY
This plant is from a single rhizome planted in a 9 L Air-Pot ®.

This is the exact item as in the first three photos, though the flowers are short-lived and may not be present at time of viewing. The remaining photos show the plant at maturity.

Dimensions of the 9 L Air-Pot ®:
Inside diameter: 233 mm
Outside diameter: 269 mm
Height: 275 mm

The top two rows of cones are closed and act as a water reservoir.

Plant Description:
This member of the ginger family is both a medicinal plant as well as a striking ornamental.

The flower and leaf are never seen together, but the all-over-the-place weather the past few years seems to trigger the highly irregular appearance of both at once these days. Also unusual is that the flowers last about a week instead of the more typical two or three days.

This exquisite plant is currently growing in a 9 L Air-Pot ®, in which all gingers do amazingly well.

Growing Information:
Kaempferia rotunda happily grows in a pot or in the ground, and will absolutely thrive in any permanently cool, shady spot as the last three photos show.

LIke all members of the ginger family, K. rotunda prefers a well-draining soil rich in organic matter.

The unique Air-Pot container massively reduces, if not outright eliminates, root disturbance when repotting or transplanting, However, this assumes the root ball is kept intact. if your intent is to break up the K. rotunda rhizomes when repotting or transplanting, I’d strongly recommend waiting until the plant enters dormancy in June/July and the last leaf has fallen off around September/October. This is because the K. rotunda rhizome withdraws all nutrients from the leaves to store over winter, and it is best not to disturb the plant or its leaves whilst it does so. The plant is completely dormant and safe to transplant/divide when all leaves come away without any resistance whatsoever.

Rhizomes reshoot around November. Typically the flowers appear first for a few days, then die to be followed by the leaves, but of late this hasn’t been the case and both are just as likely to appear together as not, at least here in my climate.