| Etlingera elatior | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Genus: | Etlingera |
| Species: | E. elatior |
| Binomial name | |
| Etlingera elatior | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Etlingera elatior (also known astorch ginger, amongother names) is a species of herbaceousperennial plant in the familyZingiberaceae, native to theMalay Peninsular, theislands of Indonesia andNew Guinea of theMalesia bioregion.[3]
The showy pink flowers are used in decorative arrangements and are an important ingredient in food acrossSoutheast Asia.
E. elatior is also known as "torch ginger", "ginger flower", "red ginger lily", "torchflower", "torch lily", "wild ginger", "Indonesian tall ginger" and "porcelain rose".[3]
In other languages, it is known as: "Philippine wax flower";Sundanese:honje;Javanese:combrang;Indonesian:kecombrang orcekala (Sumatra);Standard Malay:bunga kantan;Sinhala:ගොඩ ඕලු (goda olu),ගොඩ නෙලුම් (goda nelum), orසිද්ධාර්ථ (siddartha);Chinese:火炬姜 (pinyin:huǒjù jiāng);Spanish:boca de dragón;French:rose de porcelaine;Thai:ดาหลา (dala).[citation needed]
The species grows as apseudostem from arhizome; it takes about 18–22 days for the first leaf to grow from the rhizome. The leafy shoot lasts for about 70 days and may reach a height of 3–6 metres.[4][5] Its leaves are leathery and grow around 85 cm (33 in) long and 18 cm (7 in) broad with a central groove.[4] The fibers ofEtlingera elatior are strong.[6]
Thecapitateinflorescence appears from the shoot after 30 days, reaching a height of 2.5 m it swells gradually and turns pink before blooming after more than 50 days. Theinflorescence is made of 20–25 layers of floralbracts and 3-4 layers of involuceral bracts at full bloom; it may have 90-120 true flowers inside.[5] The capitulum can reach a diameter of 25 cm.[7]
From the leaves ofE. elatior, threecaffeoylquinic acids, includingchlorogenic acid (CGA), as well as threeflavonoidsquercitrin,isoquercitrin andcatechin, have been isolated.[8] Content of CGA was significantly higher than flowers ofLonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), the commercial source.[9]
A protocol for producing a standardized herbal extract of CGA from leaves ofE. elatior (40%) has been developed, compared to commercial CGA extracts from honeysuckle flowers (25%).[8]
The flower buds are edible.[12] In North Sumatra (especially among theKaro people), the flower buds are used in a stewed fish dish calledArsik ikan mas (Andaliman-spiced carp).[citation needed] In Bali, people use the white part of the bottom part of the trunk for cooking chilli sauce called "Sambal Bongkot", and use the flower buds to make chilli sauce called "Sambal Kecicang".
In Thailand, it is eaten in a kind ofThai salad preparation.[13] In Malaysia, the flower is an essential ingredient in cooking the fish broth for a kind of spicy sour noodle soup called "asam laksa" (also known as "Penang laksa"),[14] in the preparation of a kind of salad calledkerabu and many other Malay dishes.[15] Thefruit is also used in Indonesian cooking.[16]
InKaro, it is known asasam cekala (asam meaning 'sour'), and the flower buds, but more importantly the ripe seed pods, which are packed with small black seeds, are an essential ingredient of the Karo version ofsayur asam, and are particularly suited to cooking fresh fish. InSundanese, it is known asHonje.[citation needed]
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Media related toEtlingera elatior at Wikimedia Commons
