Etlingera

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Zingiberales

Familia: Zingiberaceae
Subfamilia: Alpinioideae
Tribus: Alpinieae
Genus: Etlingera
Species: E. albolutea – E. amomoides – E. angustifolia – E. apus-hang – E. araneosa – E. aurantia – E. australasica – E. baculutea – E. balikpapanensis – E. baramensis – E. barioensis – E. belalongensis – E. brachychila – E. brevilabrum – E. bromeliopsis – E. burttii – E. calycina – E. caudiculata – E. cevuga – E. coccinea – E. corneri – E. crispata – E. dalican – E. dekockii – E. densiuscula – E. dictyota – E. diepenhorstii – E. elatior – E. facifera – E. fenzlii – E. fimbriobracteata – E. foetens – E. fulgens – E. goliathensis – E. gracilis – E. grandiflora – E. grandiligulata – E. harmandii – E. heliconiifolia – E. hemisphaerica – E. heyneana – E. insolita – E. inundata – E. isip – E. kenyalang – E. labellosa – E. lagarophylla – E. latifolia – E. linguiformis – E. littoralis – E. loerzingii – E. longifolia – E. longipetala – E. longipetiolata – E. loroglossa – E. maingayi – E. megalocheilos – E. metriocheilos – E. minor – E. moluccana – E. muluensis – E. muriformis – E. nasuta – E. newmanii – E. otiolophos – E. palangkensis – E. pandanicarpa – E. pauciflora – E. pavieana – E. peekelii – E. philippinensis – E. polyantha – E. polycarpa – E. pubescens – E. punicea – E. purpurea – E. pyramidosphaera – E. rosamariae – E. rosea – E. rubromarginata – E. rubrostriata – E. sanguinea – E. sayapensis – E. sericea – E. sessilanthera – E. solaris – E. sorsogonensis – E. subterranea – E. subulicalyx – E. sulfurea – E. triorgyalis – E. valida – E. velutina – E. venusta – E. versteegii – E. vestita – E. walang – E. xanthoparyphe – E. yunnanensis
Name

Etlingera Giseke, Prael. Ord. Nat. Pl.: 199 (1792)

Type species: Etlingera littoralis (J.Koenig) Giseke, Prael. Ord. Nat. Pl.: 199 (1792)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Geanthus Reinw., Syll. Pl. Nov. 2: 5 (1825), nom. illeg.
Diracodes Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 1: 55 (1827)
Bojeria Raf., Fl. Tellur. 4: 50 (1838)
Achasma Griff., Not. Pl. Asiat. 3: 426 (1851)
Nicolaia Horan., Prodr. Monogr. Scitam.: 32 (1862)
Phaeomeria Lindl. ex K.Schum. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 46: 259 (1904)

References

Giseke, P.D. (1792) Praelectiones in ordines naturales plantarum ad 202, 209.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2015. Etlingera in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2015 May 8. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2015. Etlingera. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 8 May 2015.
International Plant Names Index. 2015. Etlingera. Published online. Accessed: May 8 2015.

Vernacular names
English: Torch Lily, Torch Ginger, Philippine Waxflower
français: Rose de porcelaine

Etlingera is a genus of Indo-Pacific herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, consisting of more than 100 species found in tropical regions of the Old World.[2]

Some of the larger species have leafy shoots reaching almost 10 metres high, and the bases of these shoots are so stout as to seem almost woody. Others of the species grow as clumps of leafy shoots; while others have such long creeping rhizomes that each of their leafy shoots can be more than a metre apart.[2]

Unique and distinctive to all Etlingera is a tube forming above the point where the base of the flowers petals joins onto the plant (i.e. above the insertion of the corolla lobes).[2]

Distribution

Etlingera species are native to India, Bangladesh, Burma, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore,, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, Queensland, and several Pacific Islands, predominantly close to the equator between sea level and 2500 metres.[2][3] Members of the genus are also reportedly naturalized in other warm places (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Central America, Mauritius, and the islands of the Gulf of Guinea.[1]
Species

The most commonly known species of Etlingera is the torch ginger (E. elatior),[2] also called the torch lily, porcelain rose, or Philippine waxflower because of its showy inflorescence.[2] The described species include:

Etlingera albolutea
Etlingera amomoides
Etlingera angustifolia
Etlingera apus-hang
Etlingera araneosa
Etlingera aurantia
Etlingera australasica
Etlingera baculutea
Etlingera balikpapanensis
Etlingera baramensis
Etlingera barioensis
Etlingera belalongensis
Etlingera brachychila
Etlingera brevilabrum
Etlingera bromeliopsis
Etlingera burttii
Etlingera calycina
Etlingera caudiculata
Etlingera cevuga
Etlingera coccinea
Etlingera corneri
Etlingera corrugata
Etlingera crispata
Etlingera dalican
Etlingera dekockii
Etlingera densiuscula
Etlingera dictyota
Etlingera diepenhorstii
Etlingera elatior
Etlingera facifera
Etlingera fenzlii
Etlingera fimbriobracteata
Etlingera foetens
Etlingera fulgens
Etlingera goliathensis
Etlingera gracilis
Etlingera grandiflora
Etlingera grandiligulata
Etlingera harmandii
Etlingera heliconiifolia
Etlingera hemisphaerica
†Etlingera heyneana
Etlingera insolita
Etlingera inundata
Etlingera isip
Etlingera kenyalang
Etlingera labellosa
Etlingera lagarophylla
Etlingera latifolia
Etlingera linguiformis
Etlingera littoralis
Etlingera loerzingii
Etlingera longifolia
Etlingera longipetala
Etlingera longipetiolata
Etlingera loroglossa
Etlingera maingayi
Etlingera megalocheilos
Etlingera metriocheilos
Etlingera minor
Etlingera moluccana
Etlingera muluensis
Etlingera muriformis
Etlingera nasuta
Etlingera newmanii
Etlingera otiolophos
Etlingera palangkensis
Etlingera pandanicarpa
Etlingera pauciflora
Etlingera pavieana
Etlingera peekelii
Etlingera philippinensis
Etlingera polyantha
Etlingera polycarpa
Etlingera pubescens
Etlingera punicea
Etlingera purpurea
Etlingera pyramidosphaera
Etlingera rosamariae
Etlingera rosea
Etlingera rubromarginata
Etlingera rubrostriata
Etlingera sanguinea
Etlingera sayapensis
Etlingera sericea
Etlingera sessilanthera
Etlingera solaris
Etlingera sorsogonensis
Etlingera subterranea
Etlingera subulicalyx
Etlingera sulfurea
Etlingera triorgyalis
Etlingera walang
Etlingera valida
Etlingera velutina
Etlingera venusta
Etlingera versteegii
Etlingera vestita
Etlingera xanthoparyphe
Etlingera yunnanensis

Ethnobotany

Species of Etlingera are widely used for many different purposes and many of the species are therefore locally named and known.

A common use is to pull out and eat the inner sheathes of the leafy shoots of some species: to eat either raw, cooked as a vegetable, or as a condiment (much in the same way as onions are used as a condiment). E. coccinea (known as tuhau in Sabah;[4] no English name) and E. elatior (torch ginger) are especially cultivated for this purpose.[2]

The aromatic sweet and sour fruits are also commonly eaten. Several species are used as medicines to treat headaches or stomachaches. One species which itself has large distinctive red patches, (E. brevilabrumin), is commonly applied externally, to relieve itching and other skin problems.[2]

Other uses made of various Etlingera species include ingredients in local perfumes, ingredients in local shampoos, and making mats, etc.[2] In Borneo, a study of 40 species of Etlingera found more than 70% of these species had alternative local names, and more than 60% had at least one use amongst local peoples.[2]
References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
POULSEN, Axel Dalberg (2006) Etlingera of Borneo Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Natural History Publications (Borneo). Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. ISBN 983-812-117-7.
Flora of China v 24 p 356, 茴香砂仁属 hui xiang sha ren shu, Etlingera Giseke, Prael. Ord. Nat. Pl. 209. 1792.
Sambal Tuhau: Sabah local dishes, Zezebel Ubil