Myoga ginger, Ginger bud
Zingiber mioga

Family: Zingiberaceae

What it is like

A ginger family herb. It keeps growing from year to year and grows in woodland. The rhizomes are yellowish. There is often no leaf stalk. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 20-37 cm long by 4-6 cm wide. The tip is heart shaped. The flower arises from the rhizome. It is 5-7 cm long. There can be a stalk up to 17 cm long. The sheaths are scale like. The bracts are reddish green with purple veins. The fruit is a capsule which is oval and red inside. The seeds are black. The seed layer is white.

There are about 100-150 Zingiber species. It is used in medicine.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in mountain valleys and is sometimes cultivated. The top growth is frost tender. It can re-grow from the underground rootstock. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, Hawaii, India, Japan, Korea, Pacific, Taiwan, Tasmania, USA

How it is used for food

It is used as a vegetable. The buds and leaves are used to flavour soups. Young flowers are blanched by covering with straw. They are used in soups, tempura and tofu dishes. They are also pickled.

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.

Edible parts

Buds, flowers, vegetable, rhizome, root, leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Chandramala, Japanese ginger, Mioga, Myohga, Proh hom, Rang he, Xiang he

Synonyms

Amomum mioga Thunb.; Zingiber echuanense Y. K. Yang; Zingiber mijooka Siebold; Zingiber mioga var. variegatum Makino; Zingiber sjooka Siebold;