ABSTRACT
Greater galangal is a perennial herb, 1.2 to 2.1 m (4-7 ft.) high. Its blade-like leaves are 25 to 60 cm (10-24 in.) long, 5 to 15 cm (2-6 in.) wide, and occur in two ranks. The §owers are greenish white with a dark-red veined tip. The fruits are red berries. The underground stems (rhizomes) are orange, pale reddish, or brown and ringed at intervals by the yellowish remnants of atrophied leaf bases. The interior is pale yellow or white and is hard and woody. This tropical species is native
to Southeast Asia, probably southern China. It is cultivated in Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and the spice made from the rhizome is very popular in Southeast Asia. Galangal is much used in Thailand as well as Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Southern China. This spice is not well known in Western countries, although it was valued in Europe in the early Middle Ages.
