Etlingera elatiorTorch Ginger

Etlingera elatior, the Torch Ginger, is the largest of the ornamental gingers in common cultivation, throwing leafy pseudostems to 3 to 5 metres and sending waxy red or pink torch-like flower heads up on separate stems from the rhizome.

It is planted as a living screen in humid gardens, where the clump is dense enough to close a boundary and tall enough to hide a service area.

Specifications

• Height3 to 5 metres, with flower stems held separately at 1 to 1.5 metres
• Width1.5 to 2.5 metres
• Native toIndonesia and Malaysia
• FoliageLarge lance-shaped glossy leaves carried on tall cane-like pseudostems; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers rich, moist, well-drained soil
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterHigh; needs consistent moisture and humidity
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical regions; frost tender

Additional Features

• FlowersWaxy red or pink torch-like heads on separate stems, near year-round in humid tropics
• FormDense upright clump of leafy pseudostems, tall enough to screen
• UsesIdeal for tropical screening, boundary and service-area planting, resort beds and cut flower
• SpacingPlant 1.5 to 2 metres apart for a closed screen
• Low MaintenanceCut spent canes to the ground and the clump renews from the rhizome
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free in suitable conditions
• Cultural SignificanceThe flower buds are a staple ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking

Torch Ginger is the rare screening plant that is also the most dramatic flower in the bed.