Alpinia nutans

• Botanical Name : Alpinia nutans (L.) Roscoe ex Sm.
• Synonyms : Globba nutans L.
• Common Name : Shell Flower, Nagdambi
• Plant Family : Zingiberaceae
• Plant Form : Herb
• Occurrence (Special Areas) : Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan, Van Chetana Kendra

About Alpinia nutans Plant :

• Habit : A large perennial herb with tuberous rootstock.
• Leaves : Oblong-lanceolate, with sheathing base, sweet scented and aromatic when crushed.
• Inflorescence : Panicles.
• Flowers :
  • In large panicles, bracts large white with pink tips.
  • Calyx tubular 3-toothed.
  • Corolla white with pink fringe, tube short, lobes oblong.
  • Stamen 1, filament flattened anther large, 2 - celled.
  • Labellum spreading, beautifully marked with red and yellow.
  • Ovary inferior, 3-celled style passes through the groove of the anther, stigma subglobose.
• Flowering and Fruiting time : January - March.
• Significance : Cultivated in the gardens.