Alpinia galanga

Taxonomy
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Alpinia
Species: Alpinia galanga

Synonyms 
Alpinia alba (Retz.) Roscoe, Alpinia bifida Warb, Alpinia carnea Griff, Alpinia pyramidata Blume, Alpinia rheedei Wight, Alpinia viridiflora Griff, Amomum galanga (L.) Lour, Amomum medium Lour, Galanga major Garsault [Invalid], Galanga officinalis Salisb, Hellenia alba (Retz.) Willd, Heritiera alba Retz, Languas galanga (L.) Stuntz, Languas pyramidata (Blume) Merr, Languas vulgare J.Koenig Maranta, galanga L., Zingiber galanga (L.) Stokes , Zingiber medium Stokes, Zingiber sylvestre Gaertn.

Common Name
Lengkuas, Puar, Lengkuas Biasa, Lengkuas Benar, Lawas, Mengkanang, Galangal, Spice Ginger, Languas , Java Galangal, Galanga, Greater Galangal

Characteristics
A perennial herb that can grow up to 3.5 m tall and possesses a creeping rhizome. The plant grows from rhizome underneath the ground.

Morphology

Stem
Soft, watery, smooth, non-woody and green in color. Rhizome Extremely branches, 2.5-10.0 cm thick, 2.0-4.0 cm in diametre, hard, fibrous and subterete. The colour of rhizome is reddish brown externally and light orange internally.


Leaves
Distichous, the bottom and top part is small, oblong-lanceolate shaped measure (20-)50(-60) x (4-)9(-15) cm, sheath obviously covered with short and soft hairs at the apex, the petiole is 1-1.5 cm long and hairy, base of the leaf is cuneate and short point at apex. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and the underneath surface is lighter green, leaf margin is wavy . The ligule present, measuring 1 cm long and truncate. Inflorescence Terminal, many flowered, erect and behave in raceme measure 10-30 cm x 5-7 cm. The bract ovate, up to 2 cm long with each of it subtending of 2-6 flowers in a cincinnus form.


Flower
Terminal with a large peduncle and bell shaped, measured 12 cm long, fragrant, tubular calyx with white in colour, corolla tube terete, both measured 1 cm long. The corolla has 3 oblong-lanceolate lobes measured 1.5 cm x 0.6 cm, the margin is fully ciliate, greenish white in color . Labellum spoon-shaped, 1.5-2.5 cm x 0.5-0.75 cm, white colour with purple vein, clawed, undulate crenate at the margin and the apex is recurved inwards. The staminode lateral; represent by 2 small pointed lobes at the base of labellum, 7-8 mm long, reddish in colour. Stamen one and erect, anther incurved; 2-2.5 cm long. The style is longer than the stamen, stigma obtriangular.


Fruits
Globose to ellipsoidal capsules in shape measuring 1-1.5 cm in diametre. The color of fruit is orange-red to wine red.

Chemical compound

Kampheride, alpinin, galangin, methyl cinnamate, cincole, 1’-acetoxychavicol acetate, 1’-hydroxychavicol acetate, galantin-3-methyl ether, a-terpineol, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, trans-coniferyl diacetate, trans-p-courmaryl diacetate, α-bergamotene, β-bisabolene, borneol, borneol acetate, butanol acetate, campene, carveol I, carveol II, chavicol acetate, citronellol acetate, α-copaene, curcumene, ρ-cymene, ρ-cymenol, eugenol methyl ether, 1’-acetoxyeugenol acetate, trans-b-farnescene, α-humulene, limonene, myrcene, nerol acetate, pentadecane, linalool, propanol acetate, 2-methyl sabinene, santalene, β-sesquiphellandrene, γ-terpinene, terpinolene, tridecane, caryophyllene oxide, 1’hydroxycineol acetate, ρ-hydroxycinnamaldehyde, di-(ρ-hydroxy-cis-styryl)-methane, α-pinene, β-pinene, quercetin, kaempferol, quercetin-3-methyl ether, isorhamnetin and derivative of 4-allylphenol. Other constituents have been reported are methylcinnamate, cineole, camphor, pinene, 1’-acetoxychavicol acetate, 1’-acetoxyeugenol acetate, caryophyllenol I, caryophylleno II, isorhemnetic, kaemferide, galangin-3-methyl ether, eugenol, galangol, cadinene, tannin, phlobaphenes, starch, cedrol, 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, β-pinene, fatty acid methyl esters, trans-4-methoxycinnamyl alcohol, n-7-heptadecene, n-pentadecane, trans-3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl alcohol, trans-4-hydroxycinnamaldehyde, isoborneol, bornyl acetate, camphene, D3-carene, trans-β-cymene, citronellol, α-fenchene, α-fenchol, geranial, geraniol, geranyl acetate, -2-ρ-menthen-1-ol, cis-2-ρ-menthen-1-ol, cis-β-ocimene, α-phellandrene, β-phellandrene, sabinene, trans-sabinene hydrate, α-terpinene, terpinen-4-ol, neral, α-thujene, β-thujone, tricyclene, α-bergamotene, butyl acetate, chavicol, neryl acetate, citronellyl acetate, α-capaene, p-cymenol, ar-cucumene, eugenly acetate, trans-β-farnesene, methyleugenol, 2-methylpropyl acetate, pentadacane, eugenol, 1’-hydroxychavicol acetate, ρ-hydroxy-cinnamaldehyde, [di-(ρ-hydroxy-cis-styryl)]methane, (E)-8(17),12-labddiene-15,16-dial, (E)-8b(17)-epoxylabd-12-ene-15,16-dial, galanals A-B, galanolactone.

Plant part used 
Leaves and rhizomes

Nur Athirah Roshaizi

Nur Athirah Roshaizi

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