Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Zingiberales

Zingiberaceae - Ginger family

Lock, J.M. (1985) Zingiberaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa

Lock, J.M. (2010) Zingiberaceae Flora Zambesiaca 13(4) 120-140

Description of the family

Perennial herbs, usually with creeping rhizomes. Leaves alternate and 2-rowed, with a sheath enclosing the stem. Lamina relatively broad (for monocotyledons), narrowing into a false petiole. Inflorescence racemose. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 3-merous. Calyx tubular or spathaceous. Petals 3, fused into a perianth tube below. Androecium composed of a single, often petaloid, stamen, and a large petaloid variously lobed labellum formed from 2 fused staminodes. Ovary inferior, 3-locular. Style and stigma 1.

Worldwide: 52 genera and 1,100 species, tropical, especially Indomalesia.

Malawi: 1 cultivated genus and 1 cultivated taxon.

No image yet

Links to cultivated genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Alpinia Roxb.	Description

Other sources of information about Zingiberaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Zingiberaceae
Flora of the DRC: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Malawi: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Zingiberaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Zambia: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Zingiberaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Zingiberaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Zingiberaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Zingiberaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Zingiberaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Zingiberaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Zingiberaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Zingiberaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Zingiberaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Zingiberaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Zingiberaceae
Wikipedia: Zingiberaceae
Plants of the World Online: Zingiberaceae
Tropicos: Zingiberaceae