Common name
English: Malay Ginger, Spiral Flag
Mandarin: 闭鞘姜 (bi qiao jiang)
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae (2715)
Phylum: Tracheophyta (2630)
Class: Liliopsida (397)
Order: Zingiberales (26)
Family: Costaceae (3)(family description)
Genus: Hellenia (1)
Epithet: speciosa (J.Koenig) S.R.Dutta (6)
Synonyms: Amomum arboreum Lour., Amomum hirsutum Lam., Banksea speciosa J.König, Cardamomum arboreum (Lour.) Kuntze, Cheilocostus speciosus (J.Koenig) C.D.Specht, Costus speciosus (J.König) Sm.
arboreum => like a tree
hirsutum => having long distinct hairs, rough, hairy
speciosa => beautiful
speciosus => beautiful, showy or brilliant
Characteristics
Climate: tropical
Habitat: mesophytic
Habit: herb
Flower colour: violet, pink, white
External links
Check for Hellenia speciosa at
World Flora Online, GBIF or IPNI- [234] Costus speciosus - Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
- [1555] Costus speciosus - Flora of China @ efloras.org