Cream Garland-Lily

Description

Hedychium flavescens is a perennial flowering plant from the Zingiberaceae (the ginger family). It is native to the Himalayas, Sichuan, and northern Vietnam, and naturalized in various other lands (South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, India, Sri Lanka, French Polynesia, Hawaii, etc.). Commonly known as cream garland-lily or yellow ginger, it grows up to 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) high. It is extremely shade-tolerant, and thrives in a wide range of soils. Since it has the ability to regrow from even a small fragment of the rhizome, which survive crushing, immersion in sea water, and even years outside of soil, elimination can be a problem. It is treated as an invasive weed in New Zealand because of its ability to displace other species. Hedychium is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, native to lightly wooded habitats in Asia. There are approximately 70-80 known species, native to India, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. Some species have become widely naturalized in other lands, and considered invasive in some places. The genus name Hedychium is derived from two ancient Greek words, hedys meaning "sweet" and chios meaning "snow". This refers to the fragrant white flower of the type species H. coronarium. Common names include garland flower, ginger lily, and kahili ginger. Members of the genus Hedychium are rhizomatous perennials, commonly growing 120–180 cm (47–71 in) tall. Some species are cultivated for their exotic foliage and fragrant spikes of flowers in shades of white, yellow and orange. Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which 'Tara' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Though reasonably hardy down to −10 °C (14 °F), it requires a sheltered position and a deep mulch in winter.