Blue Ginger

Description

Dichorisandra thyrsiflora or blue ginger is a species of tropical flowering plant which resembles ginger in growth and habit, but is actually related to the spiderworts (the genus Tradescantia). The plant is native to the tropical woodlands of North, Central and South America, especially in Atlantic Forest vegetation in Brazil. Of the family Commelinaceae, it is cultivated for its handsome spotted stems and large shiny foliage which is held horizontally, surmounted by striking blue flowers. It was first described by the naturalist Johann Christian Mikan in 1823. thyrsiflora was first grown in England in 1822, and is recorded from Sir William MacArthur's catalogue in 1857 of plants he grew in Camden southwest of Sydney. It has become naturalised in a small region of northeastern New South Wales in Australia. The Latin specific epithet thyrsiflora means “with flower clusters resembling thyme” This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Dichorisandra is a genus of perennial monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family (Commelinaceae). It is found in the Neotropics.The genus is characterised by its slightly zygomorphic flowers with large anthers usually releasing pollen by means of pores at the apex, as well as by its seeds that are embedded in a red or sometimes white aril, and tubers that often form at the tips of the roots. Both morphology and an analysis of DNA sequences indicate it is very closely related to the genus Siderasis.