Etlingera
Encyclopedia
Etlingera is a genus of Indo-Pacific
terrestrial and perennial herbs in the ginger
family, Zingiberaceae
consisting of more than 100 different species found, mostly, near the equator
.
Some of the larger species have leafy shoots reaching almost 10 metres high, and the bases of these shoots are so stout as to seem almost woody. Others of the species grow as clumps of leafy shoots; while others have such long creeping Rhizome
s that each of their leafy shoots can be more than a metre apart.
Unique and distinctive to all Etlingera is a tube forming above the point where the base of the flowers petals joins onto the plant (i.e. above the insertion
of the corolla lobes
).
, Bangladesh
, Burma, China
, Laos
, Cambodia
, Vietnam
, Thailand
, Malaysia, Singapore
, Indonesia
, Philippines
, Brunei
, Papua New Guinea
, Australia
, and several Pacific Islands
, predominantly close to the equator between sea level and 2500 metres.
), also called the "Torch Lily", "Porcelain Rose", or "Philippine Waxflower" because of its stunning inflorescence
A common use of the Etlingera is to pull out and eat the inner sheathes of the leafy shoots of some species: to eat either raw, cooked as a vegetable, or as a condiment (much in the same way as onions are used as a condiment). Etlingera coccinea and Etlingera elatior
, are especially cultivated and grown for this purpose.
The aromatic sweet and sour fruits of the Etlingera are also commonly eaten. Several species are used as medicines to treat headaches, or stomach aches, and, one species which itself has large distinctive red patches, (Etlingera brevilabrumin), is commonly applied, externally, to relieve itching and assist treat skin problems.
Other uses made of various Etlingera species include as ingredients in local perfumes, as ingredients in local shampoo, and as an optional material for making mats etc.. In Borneo, a study of 40 species of Etlingera found that more than 70% of these species had alternative local names, and more than 60% of them had at least one use amongst local peoples.
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
terrestrial and perennial herbs in the ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
family, Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae, or the Ginger family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, comprising ca. 52 genera and more than 1300 species, distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas.Many species are important...
consisting of more than 100 different species found, mostly, near the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
.
Some of the larger species have leafy shoots reaching almost 10 metres high, and the bases of these shoots are so stout as to seem almost woody. Others of the species grow as clumps of leafy shoots; while others have such long creeping Rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s that each of their leafy shoots can be more than a metre apart.
Unique and distinctive to all Etlingera is a tube forming above the point where the base of the flowers petals joins onto the plant (i.e. above the insertion
Insertion (anatomy)
Insertion is the point at which a muscle attaches to the skin, a bone, or another muscle. The insertion attaches to the structure that will be moved by the contraction of the muscle. Insertions are usually connections of muscle via tendon to bone. The opposite end of the muscle is called the origin....
of the corolla lobes
Lobe (anatomy)
In anatomy, a lobe is a clear anatomical division or extension that can be determined without the use of a microscope This is in contrast to a lobule, which is a clear division only visible histologically....
).
Distribution
The Etlingera are native to IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Burma, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and several Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
, predominantly close to the equator between sea level and 2500 metres.
Most commonly known species
The most commonly known species of Etlingera is the "Torch Ginger" (E. elatiorEtlingera elatior
Etlingera elatior is a species of herbaceous perennial plant...
), also called the "Torch Lily", "Porcelain Rose", or "Philippine Waxflower" because of its stunning inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
Ethnobotany
Species of Etlingera are widely used for many different purposes and many of the species are therefore locally named and known.A common use of the Etlingera is to pull out and eat the inner sheathes of the leafy shoots of some species: to eat either raw, cooked as a vegetable, or as a condiment (much in the same way as onions are used as a condiment). Etlingera coccinea and Etlingera elatior
Etlingera elatior
Etlingera elatior is a species of herbaceous perennial plant...
, are especially cultivated and grown for this purpose.
The aromatic sweet and sour fruits of the Etlingera are also commonly eaten. Several species are used as medicines to treat headaches, or stomach aches, and, one species which itself has large distinctive red patches, (Etlingera brevilabrumin), is commonly applied, externally, to relieve itching and assist treat skin problems.
Other uses made of various Etlingera species include as ingredients in local perfumes, as ingredients in local shampoo, and as an optional material for making mats etc.. In Borneo, a study of 40 species of Etlingera found that more than 70% of these species had alternative local names, and more than 60% of them had at least one use amongst local peoples.