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Crepe ginger facts for kids

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Crêpe ginger
Cheilocostus speciosus.jpg
Cheilocostus speciosus from Tortuguero, Costa Rica
Wild crêpe ginger (Cheilocostus speciosus) - Bukidnon, Philippines 01.jpg
Wild Cheilocostus speciosus from Bukidnon, Philippines
Scientific classification
Genus:
Cheilocostus
Species:
speciosus

The Crêpe Ginger (scientific name: Cheilocostus speciosus) is a cool flowering plant. It belongs to a plant family called Costaceae. Some plant experts also call it Hellenia speciosa.

This plant originally comes from southeast Asia and nearby areas. You can find it from India all the way to China and Queensland, Australia. It's super common on the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. People have also introduced it to places like Mauritius, Réunion, Fiji, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Belize, Melanesia, Micronesia, and the West Indies. Many people grow it because it looks beautiful.

What is Crêpe Ginger Like?

Crêpe ginger plants are special. They are different from regular gingers. They have their leaves arranged in a spiral, not in straight rows.

This plant can grow new plants from its underground stems, called rhizomes. Birds also help spread its seeds. They eat the fruits and then carry the seeds to new places.

People in South Asia and Southeast Asia grow crêpe ginger for its traditional uses. It is also grown all over the world just for its beauty. In some places, it has grown so much that it has become an invasive species. This means it can take over areas where it doesn't naturally belong.

Where Does Crêpe Ginger Live?

You can often find crêpe ginger growing in wet places. It likes roadside ditches and low areas in tropical forests. These plants usually start to flower when the rainy season begins.

How People Use Crêpe Ginger

Crêpe ginger has been used for a long time in traditional medicine. In Ayurveda, which is an ancient Indian healing system, the rhizome (underground stem) was used. People used it to help with fevers, rashes, and breathing problems like asthma. It was also used for some stomach issues.

In Mizo Traditional Medicine, it helps with kidney and other urinary problems. In the past, Malay people used it in their traditional beliefs. They also used it for high fevers, smallpox, and as a way to clean out the body.

The crêpe ginger has many different names around the world. Here are just a few:

Images for kids

  • Bud of Cheilocostus speciosus

    Bud of Crêpe Ginger

  • Leaf of Cheilocostus speciosus

    Back side of a Crêpe Ginger leaf

  • Transformation of crêpe ginger

    How Crêpe Ginger changes from flower to seeds

  • Flowers of crêpe ginger.

    Flowers of Crêpe Ginger

  • Seeds of crêpe ginger.

    Seeds of Crêpe Ginger

  • Bract of crêpe ginger

    Bract of Crêpe Ginger after seeds are taken out

  • Inflorescence of crêpe ginger

    Inflorescence of Crêpe Ginger after the flowers have died

  • Leaf of crêpe ginger

    A new leaf of Crêpe Ginger

  • Seeds of crêpe ginger

    Seeds of Crêpe Ginger

  • Seeds of crêpe ginger bd

    More seeds of Crêpe Ginger

  • Flower I IMG 9605

    Flower in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

  • Flower & leaves I IMG 9608

    Flower and leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

  • Costus speciosus Guadeloupe

    Cheilocostus speciosus in Basse Terre, Guadeloupe

  • Starr 030807-0069 Costus speciosus

    Cheilocostus speciosus in Hawaii

  • Rhizome of crêpe ginger

    Rhizome (underground stem) of Crêpe Ginger

  • New buds of crêpe ginger

    New buds growing after winter

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Crepe ginger Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.