Zingiberaceae

Zingiberaceae, the ginger family, is a family of flowering plants containing 58 genera and about 1600 described species distributed globally in the tropics and subtropics. They are aromatic perennial herbs with creeping rhizomes, sometimes tuberous. Many of the family's species are important ornamental, spice, or medicinal plants. Ornamental genera include the shell gingers, Curcuma, Hedychium, Kaempferia, and torch-gingers. Spices include ginger, Thai ginger, melegueta pepper, myoga, korarima, turmeric, and cardamom.

Evolution

The earliest known fossils of the family belong to the Campanian age and are from the genera Spirematospermum in Germany,Tricostatocarpon and Striatornata in Mexico, and Momordiocarpon in India. Spirematospermum chandlerae from the Santonian of North Carolina was previously classified in the Zingiberaceae, but more recent studies support it belonging to the Musaceae.

Description

Members of the family are small to large herbaceous plants with distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. The plants are either self-supporting or epiphytic. Flowers are hermaphroditic, usually strongly zygomorphic, in determinate cymose inflorescences, and subtended by conspicuous, spirally arranged bracts. The perianth is composed of two whorls, a fused tubular calyx, and a tubular corolla with one lobe larger than the other two. Flowers typically have two of their stamenoids fused to form a petaloid lip, and have only one fertile stamen. The ovary is inferior and topped by two nectaries, the stigma is funnel-shaped.
Some genera yield essential oils used in the perfume industry.

Genera

, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 58 genera:

Taxonomy

Phylogenetic tree of the family

Subdivisions

Subfamily Siphonochiloideae
* Tribe Siphonochileae
** Siphonochilus
Subfamily Tamijioideae
* Tribe Tamijieae
** Tamijia
Subfamily Alpinioideae
* Tribe Alpinieae
** Adelmeria
** Aframomum - grains of paradise
** Alpinia
** Amomum
** Aulotandra
** Cyphostigma
** Elettaria
** Elettariopsis
** Etlingera
** Geocharis
** Geostachys
** Hornstedtia
** Lanxangia
** Leptosolena
** Plagiostachys
** Renealmia
** Siliquamomum
** Vanoverberghia
** ×Alpingera F. Luc-Cayol - intergeneric hybrid
* Tribe Riedelieae
** Burbidgea
** Pleuranthodium
** Riedelia
** Siamanthus
Subfamily Zingiberoideae
* Tribe Zingibereae
** Boesenbergia
** Camptandra
** Caulokaempferia
** Cautleya
** Cornukaempferia
** Curcuma
** Curcumorpha
** Distichochlamys
** Haniffia
** Haplochorema
** Hedychium
** Hitchenia
** Kaempferia
** Kedhalia
** Laosanthus
** Myxochlamys
** Nanochilus
** Newmania
** Parakaempferia
** Pommereschea
** Pyrgophyllum
** Rhynchanthus
** Roscoea
** Scaphochlamys
** Smithatris
** Stadiochilus
** Stahlianthus
** Zingiber
* Tribe Globbeae
** Gagnepainia
** Globba
** Hemiorchis
subfamily unknown
* Johoralia
* ''Perakalia''
Distribution

The Zingiberaceae have a pantropical distribution in the tropics of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, with their greatest diversity in South Asia.