Alpinia malaccensisMalacca Ginger

Alpinia malaccensis is the Malacca Ginger, a tall clumping ginger from Southeast Asia grown for the mass and gloss of its foliage as much as for its flowers. Erect pseudostems carry large lance-shaped leaves, and pendulous racemes of white flowers open in sequence, each with a broad lip marked in red and yellow.

Designers use it for soft screening and understorey mass in shaded courtyards, where its scale fills a bed quickly without the woody permanence of a shrub.

Specifications

• Height2 to 3.5 metres
• Width1.5 to 2.5 metres (clump)
• Native toSoutheast Asia, from Malaysia and Indonesia to southern China
• FoliageLarge, glossy, lance-shaped leaves on erect pseudostems; evergreen in frost-free climates
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers rich, moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterModerate to high; keep the root zone evenly moist
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical and subtropical regions and is frost-sensitive

Additional Features

• FlowersPendulous racemes of white flowers with a broad lip marked red and yellow, lightly fragrant
• FormDense upright clump spreading slowly from a rhizome
• UsesIdeal for shaded understorey mass planting, tropical borders and soft screening in courtyards
• SpacingPlant 1.5 to 2 metres apart for a continuous clump mass
• Low MaintenanceCut spent canes to the ground after flowering; divide when congested
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free where moisture is reliable
• VersatilityDense clumps make an effective soft screen in sheltered, shaded positions

The Malacca Ginger fills a shaded bed with tropical scale and gloss faster than almost any woody alternative.