Hedychium coronarium (white garland-lily, "Hanashukusha")

Japanese name: ハナシュクシャ （花縮砂）
Scientific name: Hedychium coronarium

[Overview]
A perennial 1–2 m tall.
It has a rhizome.
The leaves are simple, alternate in two rows, lanceolate, 20–60 cm long and 5–10 cm wide, and hairy on the underside.
The part that looks like a stem is what is called a pseudostem, formed by overlapping leaf sheaths.
A flower stalk extends from among the leaves and bears many flowers in a spike 15–30 cm long.
The inflorescence has overlapping green bracts, and the flowers open from between the bracts.
The flowers are white, with a tube about 5–8 cm long; three petal-like staminodes are conspicuous, and one of them forms a lip that is shallowly lobed.
There is one fertile stamen with a thick filament, and the stigma of the pistil protrudes a short way from the tip of the anther.
The flowers are fragrant.
The fruit is a capsule.

[History]
It was introduced to Japan in the Edo period.

[Uses]
Besides medicinal use, perfume is made from the essential oil of the flowers.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division.
It prefers fertile, slightly moist soil that is well drained and retains moisture.
It dislikes dryness.
From autumn to spring it can be grown in full sun, but avoid direct summer sunlight and strong afternoon sun, and move potted plants to partial shade in midsummer.
It may be blown over by strong winds, 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 mulch of straw or mounded soil.
In cold regions, grow it in a pot and bring it indoors to a sunny place in winter.
To keep it growing through winter, 15°C or higher is required.
When digging up the rhizomes, do so when the leaves begin to wither, and store them in a frost-free place buried in moistened vermiculite, sawdust or similar so they do not dry out completely.
For potted plants, take care that they do not run out of water in summer, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and keep 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 becomes dry.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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