Ela-ela china, Xanthoid cardamon
Wurfbainia villosa

Family: Zingiberaceae

What it is like

A ginger family herb. It grows 2-3 m tall. The rhizome has a scent. It can be 1.5 cm across. The false stems are 20-50 cm apart. There are 20-40 leaves on each false stem. They become smaller up the stem. The leaf blade is 13-45 cm long by 1-9 cm wide. There are 1-3 flowering stalks near the base. These are 5-15 cm long. The fruit are up to 1.5 cm long. They are prickly. They are greenish-red or reddish-brown. The seeds are angular to round and 2-3 mm across. They are brown and turn black. There are 15 in each section.

There are about 150 Amomum species. They are mostly tropical. It is like cardamom.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It is grown as an under-storey plant in forest. It grows in open lowland and mountain evergreen forest. It grows between 100-1,650 m above sea level. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indochina, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The seeds are used as a substitute for true cardamom. The leaves are cooked and used as a vegetable.

It is a cultivated food plant. It is important in Laos.

Edible parts

Seed, spice, fruit, leaves, shoots, flower buds, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kreko shmol, Mak neng khieo

Synonyms

Amomum echinosphaera K.Schumann ex Gagnepain; Amomum villosum var. villosum; Cardamomum villosum (Lour.) Kuntze; Elettaria villosa (Lour.) Miq.; Zingiber villosum (Lour.) Stokes;