White Torch Ginger Blooming!
In my opinion, a tropical garden cannot be complete without a torch ginger (Etlingera elatior). It is mainly grown for its beautiful flowers that are both used as a cut-flower as well as for flavouring purposes in the kitchen. The common name of this ginger is derived from the close appearance of its opened flowers to a flaming torch. How adept is the time of this post on this blog since the Olympic torch relay is now taking place in China!
The bud of the torch ginger flower has important uses in the Asian kitchen. In Singapore, it is best known for its use to flavour the salad dish called rojak. As such, it has earned itself the name “rojak flower”.
I bought a torch ginger plant from a local nursery and planted it in my ginger garden almost a year ago. Just a few weeks ago, it delighted me by producing a flower bud for the first time!!! To my surprise, the bracts covering the bud are an off-white colour and I thought, “Isn’t this the pink flowered torch ginger plant that I bought? If it is, then the bracts should be pinkish in colour and not white!”
It took the bud another two weeks to develop fully before it unfurl its bracts to reveal the colour inside and the verdict was out. What I got in my garden is the relatively uncommon (I won’t put it as rare) white torch ginger. Yay!
This torch ginger plant also really know how to put a smile on my face. Besides this one inflorescence it has sent up from the ground, there are another three flower spikes that have emerged over the weekend and I am very happy when I saw that. I just hope no neighbours will go help themselves with a knife to cut these precious buds for their rojak!
9 comments so far
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Wilson Wong
hi! am from Bukidnon, phillipines. i collected almost 20 kinds of heliconias and ginger plants. but i have the hardest time looking for white ginger torch. where could i possibly buy it just near my place?
hello rina! am from pampanga can you tell me where did u buy your ginger plant?
Hey, check out Etlingera corneri (AKA Siam Rose).
it’s gorgeous too.
Dear Sir/Mdm
Given your love of the Torch Ginger plant…how about get your friends together and start a Torch Ginger Gardening Club…you could cultivate baby plants for sale to members….members could exchange plants too.
Your club could exhibit at Singapore Botantical Garden over weekends….Many gardening fans would love to grow the torch ginger at their herb garden too.
Singapore Botanical Garden and Singapore General Hospital have a Ginger garden..do check the plants out.
Do please share with me where you purchase this White Torch Ginger plant. I would love to purchase them for my apartment.
For your kind consideration, please
Regards
Jasmine
I would like to buy white Torch Ginger seeds or plantlets. Please share with me.
Me too, me too…..they look so pretty….Love to have one in my garden
wow!!beautiful white ginger flower and i’d love to have one! i’m from baguio and i was able to buy 3 blooms of the red ginger flower last summer and 1 plant and it’s only now that i’ve known its name. i even posted it in my facebook asking for its name and my friends were awed and asked the same. now i can answer their question. thanks!!
Hello,
Where can I buy this white torch ginger plant here in Sydney, Australia if anyone knows? I live close to Sydney airport, Arncliffe.
Thanks.
I have a few white torch ginger plants i am selling on ebay and can mail with in Australia. I have them on my ebay store Cairns Pearls if anyone would like them, i can also get the red, pink torch roots as well.