Hedychium (genus)

Japanese name: ヘディキウム
Scientific name: Hedychium

[Overview]
A perennial.
It has a rhizome.
The leaves are simple, lanceolate and alternate in two rows.
The part that looks like a stem is a pseudostem, formed of overlapping leaf sheaths.
A flower stalk extends from among the leaves and bears many flowers in a spike.
The flowers are conspicuous for three petal-like staminodes, one of which forms a lip.
There is one fertile stamen with a thick filament, and the stigma of the pistil projects shortly from the tip of the anther.
The flowers are fragrant.
The fruit is a capsule.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division.
It prefers fertile, slightly moist soil that is well drained and moisture-retentive.
It dislikes dryness.
Full sun is fine from autumn to spring, but avoid direct sunlight and strong western sun in summer, and move potted plants to partial shade in midsummer.
Strong winds can knock it over, so a windbreak is helpful.
It tolerates temperatures down to about 7°C and can overwinter if the soil does not freeze, so in warm regions it can overwinter outdoors with a straw mulch or mounded soil.
In cold regions, grow it in a pot and bring it indoors to a sunny spot in winter.
If you want it to keep growing in winter, 15°C or higher is required.
To lift the rhizomes, dig them up when the leaves begin to die back, bury them in moist vermiculite, sawdust or similar so they do not dry out completely, and store them where they will not freeze.
For potted plants, take care that they do not run dry in summer and water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; keep them on the dry side in winter.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil dries out.
Apply slow-release chemical fertilizer placed on the soil from spring to autumn.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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