Ginger Lily Hedychium gardnerianum

Kahili ginger is an herbaceous perennial in the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) native to India, the Himalayan region and Southeast Asia. The species epithet honors Edward Gardner, the East India Company’s Resident from 1816 to 1829, who introduced the species to the Calcutta Botanical Garden [now the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden], where it came to the attention of British botanists, who bestowed the name in 1824.

Plant in full sun to partial shade in consistently moist, humus-rich soil. While best taken indoors in winter months, it can be maintained in a warm, sheltered spot in the ground with deep mulch.

Kahili ginger has thick, fleshy rhizomes that spread and form colonies. This ginger is an erect, clumping plant that can reach a mature height of 8 feet. Its foliage can be just as lovely and tropical-looking as its flowers. The flowers are very fragrant, blooming in late summer. Kahili ginger is considered an invasive plant in Hawaii, where each plant will spread rapidly by rhizomes, creating dense mats that crowd out other plants. The conspicuous, arillate seeds are dispersed by birds, as well.

These plants lend a tropical look and fragrance to the border. You can use them in groups, borders or containers. It makes a fine conservatory plant. It is appropriate for an Asian, pollinator, children’s or rain garden.  

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No serious diseases or insect pests.

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology,” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.

More information on Hedychium.