Zingiber zerumbet Seeds | Pinecone Ginger

Pinecone Ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) with a red cone-shaped inflorescence and tall leafy stems — Pinecone Ginger (*Zingiber zerumbet*): Zingiberaceae, the shampoo ginger of Polynesia, whose cone holds water between its bracts.

LATIN NAME: Zingiber zerumbet

COMMON NAME: Pinecone Ginger

Plant Profile

Pinecone Ginger is a rhizomatous perennial of the ginger family, one to two metres tall, with arching leafy stems and a flower head that looks like a small green pinecone on a separate stalk. That cone turns bright red as it matures and holds water between its overlapping bracts.

It is native to tropical Asia and has been carried across the Pacific, where it is known as awapuhi and used in hair care. It grows in the humid shade of forest edges and stream banks, in rich soil that never quite dries out, and it spreads steadily into a thicket of stems rather than a single crown.

Science & Biotechnology

Zingiber is the type genus of the ginger family, and Z. zerumbet is placed in a section with several ornamental species that share the cone-like inflorescence. The cone is a cluster of overlapping bracts rather than a single flower, and the true flowers emerge from between the bracts a few at a time.

The rhizome yields a bitter, aromatic oil dominated by zerumbone, a sesquiterpene that has been extensively studied for anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity in cell and animal models. It is not the same chemistry as culinary ginger, and the rhizome is far too bitter to use as a spice.

Uses & Benefits

The aromatic water from the cone is rubbed into hair and scalp in Hawaii and Samoa, and the rhizome is used in local medicine for stomach complaints and skin conditions. The young shoots and flower buds are eaten as a vegetable in parts of Southeast Asia.

In the garden it is a bold foliage plant for a warm, damp corner, where the tall stems give a tropical effect and the red cones extend the season into autumn. It spreads by rhizome and can be divided in spring, and it combines well with bananas, hedychiums and other large-leaved plants. The cone also lasts well in a vase, which makes it useful in arrangements.

Growing from Seed

Seed is rarely set in cultivation outside the tropics, and most plants are raised from rhizome. If seed is available, sow it fresh in a warm, humid mix at twenty-five to thirty degrees, barely covered, and expect three to eight weeks with uneven results.

From rhizome the plant is easy: set a piece with two eyes in rich, moist soil in half shade, water well, and stand back. In cool climates grow it in a large pot and bring it under cover before frost. Divide the clump every three years to keep the stems vigorous and the cones large. A liquid feed in midsummer keeps the leaves broad, and a thick mulch of compost protects the rhizome in the cool season.

Our Take

A ginger grown for its cone rather than its root, and one of the easiest tropical foliage plants there is. Give it warmth, water and a little shade. Choose the site carefully, because the clump does not move well.

Herb Seeds