Honje warak, Honje laka
Etlingera solaris

Family: Zingiberaceae

What it is like

A robust ginger family herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It is up to 5 m tall. It has stout rhizomes. The leaves are arranged in two upright rows. They have fine veins. The sheath has stripes along it. It has faint ribs across it. The leaf stalks are 1 cm long. The blade is 50-80 cm long by 13-20 cm wide. The base is unequal. The flowering head is round and 5-12 cm across. It develops from the side near the base. The flower stalk is partly underground. It extends up to 36 cm long. It has large scales. It has large red bracts. These are 9 cm long by 3 cm wide. It has silky hairs. The flower bracts are narrow and 5-6 cm long. The fruit is oval and 4-5 cm long. It has bracts which remain on it. These are angular, juicy and red. The seeds are 3-4 mm long.

There are about 70 Etlingera species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in mountain forest at 800-1650 m altitude. It grows in Sumatra and Java.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Indonesia (country/location of origin), SE Asia

How it is used for food

The fruit are edible and used as a sour flavouring.

Edible parts

Fruit, spice

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Alpinia pallida (Blume) D. Dietr.; Alpinia solaris (Blume) D. Dietr.; Amomum chrysocalyx K. Schum.; Amomum solare (Blume) K. Schum.; Cardamomum pallidum (Blume) Kuntze; Cardamomum solare (Blume) Kuntze; Elettaria pallida Blume; Elettaria solaris Blume; Nicolaia pallida (Blume) Horan.; Nicolaia solaris (Blume) Horan; Phaeomeria chrysocalyx (K. Schum.) K. Schum.; Phaeomeria pallida (Blume) K. Schum.; Phaeomeria solaris (Blume) K. Schumann;