Zingiberaceae
| Ginger family Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Red torch ginger (Etlingera elatior) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae Martinov[2] |
| Type genus | |
| Zingiber[citation needed] Boehm.
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| Genera[3] | |
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58 – see text | |
Zingiberaceae, the ginger family, is a family of flowering plants containing 58 genera and about 1600 described species distributed globally in the tropics and subtropics.[4][5] They are aromatic perennial herbs with creeping rhizomes, sometimes tuberous. Many of the family's species are important ornamental, spice, or medicinal plants. Ornamental genera include the shell gingers (Alpinia), Curcuma, Hedychium, Kaempferia, and torch-gingers (Etlingera). Spices include ginger (Zingiber officinale), Thai ginger (Alpinia galanga and others), melegueta pepper (Aframomum melegueta), myoga (Zingiber mioga), korarima (Aframomum corrorima), turmeric (Curcuma), and cardamom (Amomum and Elettaria species).[6]
Evolution
[edit]The earliest known fossils of the family belong to the Campanian age and are from the genera Spirematospermum in Germany,Tricostatocarpon and Striatornata in Mexico, and Momordiocarpon in India.[7][8] Spirematospermum chandlerae from the Santonian of North Carolina was previously classified in the Zingiberaceae, but more recent studies support it belonging to the Musaceae.[9][1]
Description
[edit]Members of the family are small to large herbaceous plants with distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. The plants are either self-supporting or epiphytic. Flowers are hermaphroditic, usually strongly zygomorphic, in determinate cymose inflorescences, and subtended by conspicuous, spirally arranged bracts. The perianth is composed of two whorls, a fused tubular calyx, and a tubular corolla with one lobe larger than the other two. Flowers typically have two of their stamenoids (sterile stamens) fused to form a petaloid lip, and have only one fertile stamen. The ovary is inferior and topped by two nectaries, the stigma is funnel-shaped.[citation needed]
Some genera yield essential oils used in the perfume industry (Alpinia, Hedychium).
Genera
[edit]As of June 2025[update], Plants of the World Online accepts the following 58 species:[3]
- Adelmeria Ridl.
- Aframomum K.Schum.
- Alpinia Roxb.
- Amomum Roxb.
- Aulotandra Gagnep.
- Boesenbergia Kuntze
- Burbidgea Hook.f.
- Camptandra Ridl.
- Caulokaempferia K.Larsen
- Cautleya (Royle ex Benth.) Hook.f.
- Conamomum Ridl.
- Cornukaempferia Mood & K.Larsen
- Curcuma L.
- Cyphostigma Benth.
- Distichochlamys M.F.Newman
- Elettaria Maton
- Epiamomum A.D.Poulsen & Škorničk.
- Etlingera Giseke
- Gagnepainia K.Schum.
- Geocharis (K.Schum.) Ridl.
- Geostachys (Baker) Ridl.
- Globba L.
- Haniffia Holttum
- Hedychium J.Koenig
- Hemiorchis Kurz
- Hornstedtia Retz.
- Johoralia C.K.Lim
- Kaempferia L.
- Kedhalia C.K.Lim
- Lanxangia M.F.Newman & Škorničk.
- Larsenianthus W.J.Kress & Mood
- Leptosolena C.Presl
- Meistera Giseke
- Myxochlamys A.Takano & Nagam.
- Nanochilus K.Schum.
- Newmania N.S.Lý & Škorničk.
- Parakaempferia A.S.Rao & D.M.Verma
- Perakalia C.K.Lim
- Plagiostachys Ridl.
- Pleuranthodium (K.Schum.) R.M.Sm.
- Pommereschea Wittm.
- Pyrgophyllum (Gagnep.) T.L.Wu & Z.Y.Chen
- Renealmia L.f.
- Rhynchanthus Hook.f.
- Riedelia Oliv.
- Roscoea Sm.
- Scaphochlamys Baker
- Siamanthus K.Larsen & J.Mood
- Siliquamomum Baill.
- Siphonochilus J.M.Wood & Franks
- Srilankanthus Maras. & A.D.Poulsen
- Stadiochilus R.M.Sm.
- Sulettaria A.D.Poulsen & Mathisen
- Sundamomum A.D.Poulsen & M.F.Newman
- Tamijia S.Sakai & Nagam.
- Vanoverberghia Merr.
- Wurfbainia Giseke
- Zingiber Mill.
Taxonomy
[edit]| Cladogram: Phylogeny of Zingiberales[10] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Phylogenetic tree of the family
Subdivisions
[edit]| Zingiberaceae | |
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- Subfamily Siphonochiloideae
- Tribe Siphonochileae
- Subfamily Tamijioideae
- Subfamily Alpinioideae
- Tribe Alpinieae
- Adelmeria
- Aframomum - grains of paradise
- Alpinia
- Amomum
- Aulotandra
- Cyphostigma
- Elettaria
- Elettariopsis
- Etlingera
- Geocharis
- Geostachys
- Hornstedtia
- Lanxangia
- Leptosolena
- Plagiostachys
- Renealmia
- Siliquamomum
- Vanoverberghia
- ×Alpingera F. Luc-Cayol (Alpinia × Etlingera) - intergeneric hybrid
- Tribe Riedelieae
- Tribe Alpinieae
- Subfamily Zingiberoideae
- Tribe Zingibereae
- Boesenbergia
- Camptandra
- Caulokaempferia
- Cautleya
- Cornukaempferia
- Curcuma
- Curcumorpha
- Distichochlamys
- Haniffia
- Haplochorema
- Hedychium
- Hitchenia
- Kaempferia
- Kedhalia
- Laosanthus
- Myxochlamys
- Nanochilus
- Newmania
- Parakaempferia
- Pommereschea
- Pyrgophyllum
- Rhynchanthus
- Roscoea
- Scaphochlamys
- Smithatris
- Stadiochilus
- Stahlianthus
- Zingiber
- Tribe Globbeae
- Tribe Zingibereae
- subfamily unknown
Distribution
[edit]The Zingiberaceae have a pantropical distribution in the tropics of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, with their greatest diversity in South Asia.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Zingiberales". www.mobot.org. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. hdl:10654/18083.
- ^ a b "Zingiberaceae Martinov". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ Christenhusz, Maarten J.M.; Byng, James W. (20 May 2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3): 201. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1.
- ^ "Zingiberaceae". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ Chattopadhyay, Ishita; Biswas, Kaushik; Bandyopadhyay, Uday; Banerjee, Ranajit K. (2004). "Turmeric and curcumin: Biological actions and medicinal applications". Current Science. 87 (1): 44–53. JSTOR 24107978.
- ^ Smith, Selena Y.; Iles, William J. D.; Benedict, John C.; Specht, Chelsea D. (2 August 2018). "Building the monocot tree of death: Progress and challenges emerging from the macrofossil‐rich Zingiberales". American Journal of Botany. 105 (8): 1389–1400. doi:10.1002/ajb2.1123. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 30071130. S2CID 51909421.
- ^ Smith, Selena Y.; Kapgate, Dashrath K.; Robinson, Shannon; Srivastava, Rashmi; Benedict, John C.; Manchester, Steven R. (2021-02-01). "Fossil Fruits and Seeds of Zingiberales from the Late Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 182 (2): 91–108. doi:10.1086/711474. ISSN 1058-5893. S2CID 231875495.
- ^ Burgos-Hernández, Mireya; Pozo, Carmen; González, Dolores (20 December 2018). "Evolutionary history of Musaceae: ancient distribution and the rise of modern lineages". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 189 (1): 23–25. doi:10.1093/botlinnean/boy070.
- ^ Sass et al. 2016.
Bibliography
[edit]- Sass, Chodon; Iles, William J.D.; Barrett, Craig F.; Smith, Selena Y.; Specht, Chelsea D. (21 January 2016). "Revisiting the Zingiberales: using multiplexed exon capture to resolve ancient and recent phylogenetic splits in a charismatic plant lineage". PeerJ. 4: e1584. doi:10.7717/peerj.1584. PMC 4727956. PMID 26819846.
External links
[edit]
- List of Indian medicinal plants from Biodiversity of India
- Abstracts from the Symposia on the Family Zingiberaceae
- A New Classification of the Zingiberaceae from the Third Symposium on Zingiberaceae
- Zomlefer, W.B. Flowering Plant Families. The University of North Carolina Press. 1994.
 Families of Zingiberales | |
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| Banana-families |
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| Zingiberineae (Ginger-families) |
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