Japanese name: キョウオウ（姜黄、薑黄） Scientific name:Curcuma aromatica
[Overview]
A perennial about 1 m tall.
The rhizome is branched, thick, pale yellow, and aromatic.
The part that looks like a stem is a pseudostem formed by overlapping leaf sheaths.
The leaves are simple, alternate in two rows, oblong, 30–60 cm long and 10–20 cm wide, with pointed tips and soft hairs on the underside.
The flower stalk arises from the rhizome separately from the leaves and bears a spike-like inflorescence about 15 cm long with densely set bracts.
The bracts at the top of the inflorescence are large and white, often tinged with reddish purple, while those at the bottom are pale green.
The flowers emerge from between the bracts; the corolla is white to cream, often tinged with pink, and the upper lobe is hood-shaped.
One of the staminodes spreads out like a lip and is yellow.
[Uses]
The rhizome is used as a crude drug.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by division.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile soil.
During the growing season, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
It is weak against cold, so in winter dig up the rhizomes and store them.
Aphids may occur as a pest.
