Black ginger
Zingiber ottensii
Family: Zingiberaceae
What it is like
A ginger herb which keeps growing from year to year. It has underground stems or rhizomes. The leafy shoots grow 1.5 m tall. The rhizome is purplish inside. The leaves are a long oval shape and 35-40 cm long by 6-8 cm wide. The flowers are in a spike. This is on a separate stalk 25-40 cm long. The bracts are 4 cm long. They bulge outwards with tips which point inwards. They are bright red. The spike is 10-12 cm long by 4 cm wide. The fruit are red capsules.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It is cultivated. It grows in moist, partly shaded evergreen and monsoon forest.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Indochina, Indonesia (country/location of origin), Malaysia, SE Asia, Thailand
How it is used for food
The rhizome is spicy.
Edible parts
Rhizome, root, flavouring
How it is grown
It can be grown by division of the rhizome and offsets.
Its other names
Local names
Berseh hitam, Bunglai hantu, Kunyit hitam, Lampoyang hitam, Lampuyang hitam, Panglai hideung, Phlai dam, Phlai muang, Puu loei dam