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Ginger family
Zingiberaceae
ショウガ科
A family containing important spices such as ginger, turmeric, myoga, and cardamom. About 50 genera and 1,600 species are known, with the center of diversity in tropical Asia. In Japan, ginger, myoga, and Alpinia are cultivated or grow natively. Essential oils and pigments accumulate in rhizomes.
Key Characteristics
- ●Rhizomes contain aromatic essential oils
- ●Leaf sheaths are well-developed, with a ligule present
- ●Only one fertile stamen; others are modified into a labellum
- ●Flowers are zygomorphic with a well-developed labellum (lip)
- ●Fruit is a capsule or berry
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Aromatic
Aromatic / None
Flower symmetry
Zygomorphic
Petal count
6 petals
Ovary position
Inferior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Zingiberales > Zingiberaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (from about 80 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Accumulation of secondary metabolites such as essential oils and curcumin in rhizomes
- ・Rapid diversification in tropical Asia
Plants in Ginger family on this site
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