Pink and blue ginger
Curcuma aeruginosa
Family: Zingiberaceae
What it is like
A herb in the ginger family. It grows 40-150 cm high. The underground rhizome is large and branched. It is 16 cm long by 3 cm wide. It is grey on the outside. The tips are white or pink. It is blue inside. The leaves are strap-shaped. The flowers are in a dense cylinder shaped group on a stalk from the base. The flowers are tube shaped and pink. The fruit is a narrowly oval capsule. The seeds have a fleshy layer around them.
There are about 18-40-50 Curcuma species. They are mostly in SE Asia. It is used in medicine.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in limestone areas. It grows in grassy places and teak forests up to 750 m above sea level. In Queen Sirikit BG.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia (country/location of origin), Thailand, Vietnam, West Timor
How it is used for food
The young tips are eaten. The rhizomes are used as a spice.
Edible parts
Tips, shoots, rhizome - spice
How it is grown
It can be grown from seeds or division of the rhizome.
Its other names
Local names
Dark blue temu, Koneng hideung, Temu erang, Temu hitam, Temu ireng,Temulawak, Temu lotong, Wan mahamek