Featured Plant of the Week (Curcuma)

Curcuma

This genus of plants comes from India, Indonesia, and elsewhere in South-East Asia. It is a member of the Zingiberaceae or Ginger Family, which is famous for its plants with large root-stalks. Curcuma in particular includes one of the most common gingers used for medicinal and culinary purposes, Tumeric. However, there are many other species in the genus, and most of them are cultivated for their beautiful flowers.

Most curcuma species are defined by their curious flowers, which are usually small and encased in scoop shaped leaves at the top of a rigid stem. These ‘scoops' are called bracts, which is just any specialized leaf associated with the reproduction of a plant. The bracts are arranged in a staggered fashion that often top off the florescence with leaves that look a lot like flowers themselves. They're also usually colorful, coming in reds, pinks, purples, oranges, and even white. The flower blooms themselves can be a variety of colors as well.

For most species of curcuma, the flower stems are actually shorter than the rest of the plants foliage. This has earned them the common name ‘Hidden Gingers', referring to the fact that the flower is usually concealed under its long oval or sword shaped leaves. The term curcuma is a variation of the Arabic word, kurkum. Originally this meant "saffron" since in medieval times the most commonly grown species of curcuma was curcuma domestica, or the Tumeric plant. The spice Tumeric was often called ‘Indian saffron' in medieval Europe because it was a cheaper alternative to actual saffron. Since then kurkum has come to only mean Tumeric.

The Tumeric variety of curcuma is most often used as a spice in curries in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. However, it's also used in a broad variety of other applications such as food coloring, fabric dye, ant repellant, and numerous folk medicine remedies. What's more is that extensive medical research has begun in almost 20 clinical studies as to the health benefits of Tumeric, including treatment of Alzheimer's, cancer, and arthritis.

Curcumas are considered fairly hardy plants, but their specific care requirements can vary from species to species. In general it seems they are best suited to partial shade; too much however and they may not bloom. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. In winter, all curcumas go dormant and their foliage will die back. During this period, allow the soil to dry out some, and then fertilize it in early spring to encourage new flower growth.

You can find Flowering Curcuma at BloomRite® Gardens in 6" pots for only $4.95 each.