Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
rwallen1961

Need Help with Ginger Identification

rwallen1961
17 years ago

I purchased this unidentified ginger here in Chicagoland and hoping someone can help me understand what type and learn more about it.

It looks very much like the standard red torch ginger except the leaves are unusually dark in color.

Any ideas anyone?

{{gwi:843121}}

Comments (3)

  • lac1361
    17 years ago

    It looks like Zingiber Malaysianum, "Midnight" Ginger. A basal bloomer. Sold as hardy in zone 9; it's not. I have had this ginger for 4 years. The first two, I had it in the ground and it would go dormant in the winter and return in the spring, but never as strong as the year before. I now have it in a pot and protect it in my greenhouse during the winter. It does not go dormant if protected. I have never gotten this ginger to bloom but the blooms start out yellow and turn bubblegum pink over time. There was a picture in the ginger gallery from Lisa from Hawaii a year or so ago of hers with the blooms. It might still be there. This is not a very common plant to find in a nursery, even here in the South.

    As far as care, I fertilize mine weekly during the summer months with a water soluble fertilizer, ratio 20-20-20 and water once or twice more during the week depending on conditions. I lay off the fertilizer during the winter and reduce the watering to once a week. It is more of a shade lover. It can't take our full Louisiana sun. The leaves burn. I like this ginger for its foliage. Good luck.

    Steve

  • LisaCLV
    17 years ago

    I concur with everything Steve says. It's a bit touchy, even here.

    Here is that picture, and a couple of others:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Z. malaysianum 'Midnight' (Lyon Arboretum files)

  • bihai
    17 years ago

    Yeah its Z. malaysianum Midnight. If I remember correctly after all this time, the story about this ginger is that it was discovered and imported in the USA by John Banta, and was put almost immediately into tissue culture, which was very successful, and every box store garden center in the South (at least in Florida) was selling it and saying it was hardy to at least zone 8. But its not.
    I have had one for I guess about 5 years, maybe 6, and I always get mine to bloom, but when I experimented with it and planted it out, it never comes back up in 8B even in a MILD winter. You want to keep that was a HOUSEPLANT in Chicago when the temps get below about 50F. I have mine planted in the greenhouse now, directly in the ground, and it has been happy there for almost 4 years, but I never let the nighttime winter temp get below 55.

    Here are 2 photos of mine in bloom, one in a container (This is one I planted out and lost) and the one in the greenhouse

    {{gwi:843122}}
    {{gwi:843123}}