Ban besar
Cautleya spicata

Family: Zingiberaceae

What it is like

A herb in the ginger family. It grows to about 50 cm high. There are 4-7 leaves. The leaves have short stalks. They are oval and taper to a point. The leaf blade is oblong and 12039 cm long by 1.6-4 cm wide. The base is rounded and it tapers to the tip. The flower spikes are 7-12 cm long. The flowers are yellow in short stalked spikes. There are many flowers densely together. The bracts are red and 2.5-3 cm long. The fruit is a capsule. It is round and red. It is about 1 cm across. The seeds are black and oval. They are enclosed in a white seed layer.

There are 5 Cautleya species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. In Nepal it grows from 1000-2600 m altitude. It grows in moist shady places. In China it grows on the forest floor or growing on trees between 1100-2600 m altitude in S China.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Tibet

How it is used for food

The pith of the stem is eaten as a vegetable. It is used to quench thirst.

Edible parts

Stem

How it is grown

Plants are grown from bulbs.

Its other names

Local names

Cho-lings-thanh, Pis-gra, Sano saro, Sarato

Synonyms

Cautleya petiolata Baker; Cautleya robusta Baker; Roscea spicata Smith;