ABSTRACT
Gingers are herbaceous perennials in the families Zingiberaceae and Costaceae, also known as Zingiberoideae and Costoideae. This division is supported by data on geographic distribution, vegetative anatomy, and cytology, among other aspects. Their centers of distribution are the Indo-Malaya region with additional centers in tropical Africa and Central and South America. In general, gingers are terrestrial, rhizotomous herbs, usually sympodially branched. The rhizome units bear reduced-scale leaves and grow horizontally for a distance characteristic of the species before turning to become erect as foliage-bearing shoots. Hedychium species are generally found in bright sunlight along the edges of tropical and subtropical forests in India. Indian botanists have been particularly good in noting months of flowering, which are exclusively summer months. Aside from the possibility of low temperatures preventing flowering in the higher elevations, there is a strong possibility that many of the Hedychiums are long days plants.
