Alpinia nutans
False Cardamom
The Alpinia nutans, commonly known as False Cardamom or Dwarf Cardamom Ginger, is a compact clumping ginger grown for its glossy green foliage and its scent: brushing or crushing a leaf releases a distinct cardamom aroma. It is a genuine dwarf, reaching only 0.8 to 1.2 metres, which makes it a useful tall groundcover and low screening plant for shaded beds where larger gingers would overwhelm the space.
Easy to grow and highly versatile, False Cardamom is valued for its foliage, fragrance and tolerance of deep shade. It is cardamom-scented but it is not the source of culinary cardamom, which comes from Elettaria cardamomum.
Specifications
- Height0.8 to 1.2 metres
- Width0.8 to 1.5 metres, spreading steadily by rhizome
- Native toMaluku, the Moluccas, in Indonesia
- FoliageLong lanceolate glossy green leaves with smooth margins, cardamom-scented when brushed; evergreen in frost-free areas
- Growth rateModerate to fast
Conditions
- SoilAdaptable; grows lushest in moist, fertile, well-drained soils
- LightPart shade to full shade; tolerates more sun where moisture is reliable
- WaterModerate to high; moderately drought-tolerant once established
- ClimateSubtropical to warm temperate; cut back by hard frost but reshoots from the rhizome in spring
Additional Features
- FlowersShell-like white blooms with a red-marked lip, though the plant flowers only rarely in cultivation, so it is grown for foliage rather than bloom
- FormDense clumping habit with arching leafy canes
- UsesTall groundcover in shade, understorey mass planting, low screening, borders, poolside beds, containers and interior planting
- SpacingPlant 0.8 to 1 metre apart for dense coverage
- Low MaintenanceRequires minimal pruning; remove spent canes to encourage new growth
- Pest ResistanceGenerally pest-free and hardy
- Seasonal AppealEvergreen foliage in frost-free climates
- VersatilityComplements tropical, rainforest and contemporary garden styles
The False Cardamom is a compact, fragrant and shade-tolerant ginger, perfect for adding lush greenery at a manageable scale.
Naming note: Material sold in the trade as "Alpinia nutans" is frequently Alpinia zerumbet, a much larger plant reaching 2.5 to 3 metres. It should also not be confused with Alpinia galanga, the culinary galangal, which is a different and far taller species.