Japanese name: マツカサジンジャー Scientific name:Tapeinochilos ananassae
[Overview]
An evergreen perennial 1.5–2 m tall.
The stem is about 1–1.5 cm in diameter, erect and branching.
The leaves are simple and spirally alternate on the upper part of the stem, long obovate, 10–20 cm long and 6–10 cm wide, with a pointed tip.
The leaf base forms a sheath that wraps around the stem.
A flower stalk 20–120 cm long rises from the base of the plant and bears a head-like spike at its tip.
The inflorescence lengthens as flowering proceeds, becoming cylindrical, 15–20 cm long and 8–10 cm in diameter.
Hard, glossy red bracts are densely arranged on the inflorescence like a pine cone.
The flowers are borne between the bracts and are yellow, but they are shorter than the bracts and the lip is small, so they are inconspicuous.
It flowers all year round if the temperature is suitable.
[Cultivation]
It prefers partial shade and fertile, well-drained soil.
It has weak cold tolerance.
