Zingiber officinale: ginger: adrak

Description A perennial herb with a subterranean, digitately branched rhizome producing stems up to 1.50 m in height with linear lanceolate sheating leaves (5-30 cm long and 8-20 mm wide) that are alternate, smooth and pale green. Flower stems shorter than leaf stems and bearing a few flowers, each surrounded by a thin bract and situated in axils of large greenish yellow obtuse bracts, which are closely arranged at end of flower stem forming collectively an ovate-oblong spike. Each flower shows a superior tubular calyx, split part way down on side; an orange yellow corolla composed of a tube divided above into three linear-oblong, blunt lobes; six steaminess in two rows, the outer row of three inserted at mouth of corolla; the posterior, small horn-like; the anterior petaloid, purple and spotted and divided into three rounded lobes; an inferior three celled ovary with tufted stigma. Fruit a capsule with small arillate seeds.