The Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) Plant of the Month (POM) for November 2021 is the “Red Bamboo Ginger”, scientifically known as Alpinia luteocarpa Elm. from the family Zingiberaceae. The genus Alpinia is named after Prospero Alpino, a 16th-century physician, and botanist. Luteocarpa, on the other hand, means yellow fruits. The plant is native to the Philippines.
Red Bamboo Ginger’s physical features are described as a bamboo-like herb growing up to 1.5 meters with horizontal growing rhizomes and erect stems. Its leaves are evergreen, lanceolate in shape, and green on the upper surface with a reddish-purple underside while its flowers are borne at the end of each branch in clusters of three to five, creamy white with red calyxes. Moreover, its fruit is yellow, round to oblong in shape, and contains many small seeds inside.
Trivia: Did you know that the Red Bamboo Ginger rhizome is aromatic and carminative? It is used in traditional Chinese medicine for its warming properties and is mostly used to cure digestive disorders!
Learn more about this plant through this link: https://youtu.be/WNm-zQ6-i_E
By: AALimpiada and ACMalayba