Description:

• Perennial herbs, usually aromatic, with horizontal tuberous rhizomes
• Stems erect, sometimes short, leafy or sometimes producing only flowers
• Leaves in 2 rows, with open or closed sheath at base, sessile or with a pseudo-petiole; lamina usually large, with nerves closely parallel, diverging obliquely from midrib; ligule usually present at junction of blade and sheath
• Flowers mostly bisexual and irregular, solitary in axils of bracts or in cincinni, with or without bracteoles, accompanying or separate from leaves
• Perianth 6-merous, 2-seriate; outer 3 (calyx) tubular; inner 3 (petals) tubular; often very showy, with a 2- or 3-lobed labellum (lip, formed by staminode)
• Stamen 1, with 2-thecous anther; 3 ± conspicuous petaloid staminodes are present
• Ovary inferior, 3(2)-locular, usually many-ovuled, with axile placentas, or 1-locular, with parietal or rarely basal placentas; style terminal, undivided, free or ± enveloped in groove of fertile stamen or sometimes 2-lipped, or -dentate; epigynous glands (stylodes) forming erect outgrowths on top of ovary
• Fruit fleshy and indehiscent, or loculicidally 3-valved
• Seeds round or angular, mostly covered with large, divided aril

Nomenclature:

• Zingiberaceae
  • Wright: 313 (1913)
  • Hutchinson: 721 (1973)
  • Lock: 1 (1985)
  • Smith: 35 (1998)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera ± 50, species ± 1000, ± cosmopolitan in tropics, mostly Asian
• Southern Africa: Genera 3 (2 exotic), species 6 (4 exotic)

References:

• HUTCHINSON, J. 1973. Families of flowering plants, edn 3. Clarendon Press, Oxford
• LOCK, J.M. 1985. Flora of tropical East Africa. Zingiberaceae
• SMITH, R.M. 1998. FSA contributions 11: Zingiberaceae. Bothalia 28
• WRIGHT, C.H. 1913. Scitamineae. Flora capensis 5, 3

Resources:

• Key to Zingiberaceae genera

• Zingiberaceae genera: