Botanical name – Alpinia Caerula.
Native ginger is an attractive clumping plant, growing from an underground rhizome to 2m high x 1m wide. It occurs naturally from north of Sydney to Cape York, usually as an understorey plant as it prefers a lightly shaded to full shade spot but it can also be grown indoors.
We have the green form at the Farm in the native garden, but there is also a variety called Atherton Red Back where the back of the leaves is a beautiful dark red colour. It has wide glossy green leaves and fragrant white flowers which are followed by blue/purple berries.
Our First Nations people traditionally ate the roots and shoots and used the flesh around the seeds of the fruit to activate salivary glands to moisten the mouth while bushwalking. Usually the seeds are discarded.
The young growing tips of the rhizome and the shoots can be eaten raw or cooked as a ginger substitute. They have a mild gingery flavour, which is sometimes described as sour. The older rhizomes are quite fibrous, so rather than slicing, just bruise the root and infuse in your cooking for a mild ginger flower. The leaves are great for wrapping food like fish before steaming to give a slight gingery flavour, or use like a bay leaf to add a flavour to your cooking.
Native ginger can be grown as a great understorey plant in a food forest where it can be used as a chop-and-drop mulch. Gives a great tropical feel to your garden.
