Name: Zingiberaceae
Meaning of Name:
Zingiberaceae, From Latin zingiber (‘ginger’), from Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis, ‘ginger’) + Latin -āceae (the feminine plural of -āceus, ‘resembling’, a suffix used to form the taxonomic family names of plants, algae, bacteria, and fungi)
Common Names:
The ginger family
Botanical Information:
Zingiberaceae, or the ginger family, contains close to 60 genera and about 1,600 species. (Sadly, not all here with me!)
Many ornamental, spice, and medicinal plants are of this family.
Zingiberaceae are perennial, herbaceous plants which spread via creeping rhizomes. Some species are evergreen whilst others die back and enter winter dormancy.
Defining botanical characterisitcs of Zingiberaceae species are based on their particular leaf arrangement and flower morphology.
The photo chosen to illustrate this family shows the leaf arrangement of peacock ginger (Kaempferia rotunda).
Image copyright © Optimate Group Pty Ltd
