Topus etlingera
Etlingera brevilabrum

Family: Zingiberaceae

What it is like

A ginger family herb. It grows 5 m tall. It has an aroma. The rhizomes are creeping and 1 m long. The false stems are grouped closely together. The leaf stalks are 3-4 cm long. The leaves are sword shaped and taper to a short tip. The leaves have purple-red blotches. The flowering shoots are without leaves and come from the base. They are 50 cm long. The flower bracts are shiny, red and waxy. The flowers are tube shaped and red. The fruit is a round capsule 2 cm across. There are many seeds.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in Kalimantan. It grows in primary and secondary forests and marshy or mixed dipterocarp forest up to 1,200 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

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

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Spice

How it is grown

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

Its other names

Local names

Topus apentimang

Synonyms

Achasma brevilabrum Valeton; Geanthus brevilabris (Valeton) Valeton; Hornstedtia brevilabris (Valeton) Merr.;