Native cardamon, Golgol, Gorgor
Hornstedtia scottiana

Family: Zingiberaceae

What it is like

A perennial ginger family plant. The stalks reach up to 1.5-4 m high and have a swollen base. The leaves occur one after another in two rows along the main stem. The leaf blade is 60 cm long and 12 cm wide. The edges of the leaves are softly hairy. The leaf sheath on the stem is about 13 cm long. The leaves are shiny and smooth on top and dull underneath. The midrib has a dent inwards on the top surface and the veins go off at 30° angles. The flower is a cone like structure up to 12 cm high at the base of the plant. The flower grows without a stalk and near ground level. The flowers are white and the flower has overlapping bracts. The outside of the lower bracts is red. The seeds are 2 mm across and they are grouped inside casings of the cone. The red bracts hide these casings. The pulp around the seeds is edible.

There are about 60 Hornstedtia species. They occur in tropical Asia.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. A rainforest species. It is common in the lowland rainforest in the tropics. It is very frost tender. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Bougainville, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

How it is used for food

The seeds are edible. The tuberous roots are eaten.

The seeds are especially eaten by children.

Edible parts

Fruit, root

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed or by division of the rhizome.

The flower can be broken off the underground stem or rhizome and the seeds and sap are sweet and cardamom like.

Its other names

Local names

Chovacha, Dadali, Fi'f kakali, Fui mengo, Jiddo, Marapui, Ropeoe, Scott's ginger, Suka

Synonyms

Amomum lycostomum Lauterb. & K. Schum.; Amomum scottiana F. Muell.; Cardamomum scottii (F. Muell.) Kuntze; Elettaria scottiana F.Muell.; Hornstedtia lycostoma (Laut.& K.Schum) K. Schum; Hornstedtia lycostoma var. scabra Valeton;