Mondia whitei seed

LATIN NAME: Mondia whitei

COMMON NAME: White’s Ginger

White’s ginger is the fine, climbing, sweet-rooted plant of the warm, moist forests, and its fine, fragrant roots and the handsome, heart-shaped leaves have made it a treasure of the warm woodlands for a very long time. The vigorous, twining vine climbs high into the trees, carrying the large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves, and the small, star-like, cream-and-maroon flowers open in the clusters among the leaves, to be followed by the small, round fruits. The roots have a long and careful record of use in the traditional practice of the region, and the plant is a fine, generous, easy vine of the warm, shaded, moist garden. It is a plant of the deep, rich, leafy ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

White’s ginger has a strong and well-documented place in the plant science, and the roots have been studied for a long time for their fine, fragrant character and their place in the traditional practice of the region. The chemistry of the sweet roots, which have a very long record of use, has been looked at closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the traditional remedies and the warm-climate vines. The large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves and the small, star-like flowers have also made it a fine garden vine, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the medicinal vines of the warm forests.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

White’s ginger is grown for the fine, fragrant roots and the handsome, heart-shaped leaves. The roots have a long and careful record in the traditional practice of the region, and they have been gathered and studied for a very long time. The vigorous vine is a fine, generous cover of the warm, shaded wall and trellis, and the small, star-like flowers are a fine, curious sight among the leaves. It has been written up in the botanical and the herbal papers for its fragrant roots and its long history of use, and it is a fine, generous vine of the warm, shaded, moist garden.

White’s ginger is one of the fine, sweet-rooted vines of the warm forests, and the fragrant roots have a long and careful record in the traditional practice of the region. The large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves give the vigorous vine a fine, handsome look as it climbs the wall and the trellis of the warm, shaded garden.

In the right spot the White’s ginger is a fine, dependable, generous vine, and it asks for very little beyond the warmth, the shade and the deep, rich, leafy ground. The large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves keep their fine, fresh look through the whole season as the vine climbs the wall and the trellis.

To grow the White’s ginger from seed, water the seed trays well, sow the small, flat seeds at a shallow depth and cover them lightly, keep them in a warm, shaded, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings are up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. In a warm, shaded, moist spot with the deep, rich, leafy soil, the large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves will be there in a few seasons.

Mondia whitei is endemic to South, Central, East and West Africa. In South Africa the plant is restricted to the coast and midlands in KwaZulu-Natal and the Limpopo Province with some records from Swaziland. From here the distribution extends north to the southern parts of Sudan and west as far as Senegal. Plants grow in dense bush in a variety of woodland and forest habitats. They have even been reported from shrubby swamp grassland. The species is frost intolerant and favours moist tropical and subtropical situations. The roots are chewed as an aphrodisiac. Mondia can also be used as a tea. It has a sweet vanilla-like flavor.