Rainbow ginger (Curcuma aurantiaca Zijp.) - a potential ornamental ginger.

Abstract

A study of Rainbow Ginger (Curcuma aurantiaca Zijp.) is a wild species of Curcuma with very high ornamental potential. Ten accessions of the species were collected from different naturally growing populations in Kerala state of India and grown at Calicut University Botanical Garden (CUBG) to study its ornamental potential. The vegetative phase of the plants was completed from May to December under rain fed conditions and it bloomed from July to November. The inflorescence, which appears in different hues, is a promising material as cut flowers and ground cover. Observations on vegetative and floral characters revealed the ornamental potential of the species. Standing duration of the inflorescence was found to be very long, extending up to 116 days and vase life of the inflorescence from 6 to 10 days. Domestication and improvement can be attempted to exploit the potential of this unexploited ornamental species.