TROPICA Torch Ginger, 10 Seeds

Torch ginger is probably the most eye-catching and spectacular species of the ginger family. The tropical plant grows rather strangely. A sprout shoots from the rhizome of the plant and forms 1.50 m long, narrow leaves. These sit on a bamboo-like pseudo-stem. (In nature, the trunk grows up to 6 m high and the leaves can reach a length of 4 m.)

The other sprout produces the 1.50 m tall flower stalk with a pretty inflorescence. The bright pink to scarlet flowers sit in a cone or pyramid, which can be 20-30 cm wide. The waxy bracts look like a burning torch from a distance, which is where their name comes from. The rhizome-forming Etlingera was discovered only in the early 18th century. Today it is popular in greenhouses.