Etlingera elatior

Etlingera elatior, often known as torch ginger, is a perennial tropical that is widely grown for both ornamental and culinary purposes. It is typically found in secondary woods, particularly in exposed habitats, as well as in moist locations next to rivers, on limestone, clay-rich alluvium, or peat swamps.

Morphology

Has distinctive colourful blooms and glabrous numerous leaves, with closely grouped pseudostems (false stems that are formed by overlapping leaf sheaths) that grow 2 to 6 m tall. The inflorescences are 1 to 2 m tall, arise from the base of a leafy shoot, and have a receptacle (the axis to which the floral organs are attached) that elongates to 10 cm long, bearing up to 320 flowers, but only 10–20 flowers open at a time (Lim, 2014).

Medicinal Uses

A decoction of the fruits is used to treat earaches, while a decoction of the leaves is applied to clean wounds. The herb is also mixed with other components and used in postpartum care baths to get rid of body odour (Vimala, 2013). It is possible to create functional and other health products using the phytochemistry and pharmacological capabilities of E. elatior, including its ability to be antibacterial, antifungal, inhibit tyrosinase, be cytotoxic, protect the testicles, and be hepatoprotective (Chan et al., 2011).

Distribution

Etlingera elatior is native to Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Island, Malaya, Sumatera, and Thailand. It is also distributed in Caroline Island, China South-Central, Comoros, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Gulf of Guinea Is., Honduras, Maluku, Mauritius, New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sulawesi, Trinidad-Tobago, Vanuatu.

IUCN Red List Category

Data Deficient (DD)