国花系列:BUTTERFLY GINGER 

White butterfly ginger lily, or simply ginger lily, is a tropical perennial and a cousin of culinary ginger (Zingiber officinale) of bread, snap and ale fame. It's green stalks grow from thick rhizomes to a height of 3-7 ft (0.9-2.1 m). Leaves are lance-shaped and sharp-pointed, 8-24 in (20-61 cm) long and 2-5 in (5-12.7 cm) wide and arranged in 2 neat ranks that run the length of the stem. From midsummer through autumn the stalks are topped with 6-12 in (15.2-30.5 cm) long clusters of wonderfully fragrant white flowers that look like butterflies. The flowers eventually give way to showy seed pods chock full of bright red seeds.

又名香雪花，为姜科姜花属。寿命约3年。根茎与美人蕉相似，并具姜味，外皮淡红色。根呈白色，长30—60厘米，茎强壮。高1—2米，不分枝。叶为平行脉，宽10厘米，长20厘米，呈椭园披针形，叶柄长30厘米左右，包干茎上，叶16—17枚，互生于茎之两侧。花穗生于茎顶，外具绿色鳞片状苞，苞中开花4—6朵，萼薄如纸，花瓣3枚，不甚明显，雄蕊呈花瓣状，共3枚。左右两枚呈长椭园形，中间一枚较大，上端略分裂，其中央有长约3厘米的雌雄合蕊体，花纯白色，花期夏季。性喜高温、多湿、半荫环境。

Location

Ginger lily, Hedychium coronarium is native to India. It is a popular landscape plant throughout Florida, the Gulf Coast, California, the Caribbean and tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. Ginger lily also is grown in mild winter temperate regions of North America and Europe where it dies back in winter but re-emerges in spring.

姜花(Hedychium coronarium)

别名蝴蝶花、香雪花、夜寒苏、姜兰花，属姜科姜花属多年生草本植物。本属约50～60种。中国有20余种。云南产16种，全省各地均有分布。

同属植物中还有黄姜花(H. flavum)，产于贡山、洱源等地。

白姜花(H.chrysoleucum) 产云南大部分地区，生于海拔600～2100米的疏林灌丛中。

姜花花色素雅，清香宜人，花形奇特，每年3～10月都有不同品种的姜花开放。

Culture

Light: Partial shade to full sun.

Moisture: Likes rich soil with adequate moisture.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 7b-11. Ginger lily is a tropical plant. It tolerates an occasional light freeze and frost. A hard frost will kill it to the ground but it comes back quickly.

Propagation: Ginger lily is easy to propagate - simply dig it up, cut the root into 8 in (20 cm) pieces and replant.

Usage

Ginger lily makes a beautiful background plant and looks great planted in large clumps at the edge of woodsy areas. Use the butterfly ginger in low wet areas where it will thrive. The fresh green foliage makes a great framework for smaller plants and works well in tubs and outdoor container plantings.

Features

Easy to grow and easy to propagate. The fresh sweet scent of this plant in bloom is a real treat on warm evenings. Plant it near a patio or window so you can enjoy the gardenia-like fragrance. The flowers attract moths at night.

生态习性

喜温暖、湿润、稍有的环境，要求肥沃、疏松、排水良好的微酸性沙质土壤多生于海拔900-1400m的常绿阔叶林中。沿喜马拉雅诸国及斯里兰卡、缅甸、越南也产。

花语：无聊