img

Alpinia mutica

Roxb. (1810)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Zingiberales Family: Zingiberaceae Genus: Alpinia

orchid ginger, small shell ginger, small shellflower

img

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Leafy shoots numerous from a sympodial rhizome, 1–2 m tall.

Stems: Rhizomes fibrous, creeping.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, distichous, oriented transverse to the rhizome. Blades narrowly lanceolate, tapered at both ends, 25–50 cm long, 5–6 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base attenuate. Surfaces glabrous, slightly ciliate along margins near apex; sheaths green or purple–flecked. Margins entire. Veins pinnate, parallel. Petioles ca. 2–2.5 cm long, slender; ligules 5–8 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers few to numerous, thyrses terminal on leafy shoots, erect, 6–18 cm long, densely minutely pubescent, primary bracts absent, cincinni 2–4–flowered, bracteoles caducous, 5–15 mm long, not tubular; floral tube shorter than calyx. Flowers bisexual (perfect), fragrant, zygomorphic, pedicellate. Calyx 3-lobed, the lobes unequal, white, funnelform,1.5–2 cm long, sparsely pubescent, the lobes pubescent, deeply split at anthesis. Corolla adnate with the stamens into a floral tube, distally 3-lobed; corolla lobes unequal, lobes white, oblong, 2.5–3 cm long, sparsely pubescent. Stamens 5, in 2 whorls, only the posterior one of the inner whorl fertile, the other 2 members of inner whorl connate to form a highly variable, often conspicuous labellum; labellum yellow, spotted basally, apically veined with crimson, with a raised, dark red, glabrous swelling at base on each side, broadly ovate, somewhat 3-lobed, ruffled along margins, 3–3.5 cm long; lateral staminodes absent; stamen as long as corolla; filament white, tinged pink, short-channeled; anther yellow, ca. 2 mm long, unappendaged. Ovary inferior, with 2 variously developed apical nectary glands, 3-celled, sometimes incompletely so, rarely 1-celled, placentation axile, parietal (or essentially basal), or rarely free-central; ovules usually numerous; style filiform, often enveloped in a groove of the fertile stamen and embraced by the thecae; stigma various, often papillose and protruding beyond anther. Ovary ca. 5 mm long and 4 mm wide, silky pubescent.

Fruit: Fruit reddish orange; subglobose; 1.5–2.5 cm wide; minutely pubescent; indehiscent but rupturing in 3 cells under pressure. Seeds ca. 8 per cell; black; angled; fragrant; aril thin; white.

Ploidy: 2n = 48

Habitat: Sparingly naturalized in mesic valleys.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

img

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Potentially naturalizing
O'ahu Potentially naturalizing
Maui Potentially naturalizing

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Specimens

img
img
img
img
img
img

Notes

  • Description digitized by Tim
  • First naturalized collection made in 1964 (Crosby & Anderson 1391, BISH), but first recorded as a cultivated ornamental in 1930
  • Native from Indo-China throughout the Malay Peninsula to Borneo and frequently cultivated; in Hawai'i occasionally cultivated

Bibliography

Name Published In: Asiat. Res. 11: 354 (1810)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1617 (O); Staples & Herbst 2005:760 (KEY, DESCR); Brock et al. 2023:144 (K)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Tantalus, 3700 Round Top Dr Mesic-wet forest, disturbed roadside, partial shade PRESERVED_SPECIMEN G. J. Ray 60 NY 1/3/1998
2 Alpinia mutica Roxb. tantalus, 3700 round top dr PRESERVED_SPECIMEN g. j. ray 60 MO 1/3/1998
3 Alpinia mutica Roxb. [degener's] honolulu garden PRESERVED_SPECIMEN o. degener 8107 NY 1/30/1932
4 Alpinia mutica Roxb. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN US 5/19/1969
5 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Haena, along Kuhio HWY (560), at intersection with Limahuli stream. In wet, shady alien-dominated forest. Apparently naturalized; many individuals present on both sides of the highway, spreading along stream and into forest understory. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Kelsey Brock 980 Kauai PTBG 5/9/2017
6 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu Harbor PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Degener, O. 8107 Oahu BISH 1/20/1932
7 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu; 622 Judd Street PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Judd Jr., A.F. s.n. Oahu BISH 11/12/1930
8 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Degener, O. Collector Number: 10840a Oahu BISH 9/3/1935
9 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu; 2245 Oahu Ave., garden of E. M. Ehrhorn PRESERVED_SPECIMEN St. John, H. 20033 Oahu BISH 5/1/1939
10 Alpinia mutica Roxb. honolulu, 3700 round top dr. wet forest, roadside; with Philodendron erubescens, Schinus terebinthifolius PRESERVED_SPECIMEN ray, g. gibney, e. collector number: 60 Oahu BISH 1/3/1998
11 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu: 622 Judd Street PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Judd Jr., A.F. s.n. Oahu BISH 11/12/1930
12 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu; 622 Judd St., residence of A. F. Judd PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Judd Jr., A.F. 68 Oahu BISH 7/10/1927
13 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Degener, O. 10840a Oahu BISH 9/3/1935
14 Alpinia mutica Roxb. East Maui, Makawao District, Huelo, in residential area adjacent to pastures on old Hana Hwy In a thicket spreading from a yard. Cascading down steep bank. Associated vegetation: Ficus cf. platypoda, Andropogon virginicus, Eucalyptus. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Starr, F. 001206-2 Maui BISH 12/6/2000
15 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Honolulu Harbor PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Degener, O. Collector Number: 8107 Oahu BISH 1/20/1932
16 Alpinia mutica Roxb. east maui, makawao district, huelo, in residential area adjacent to pastures on old hana hwy In a thicket spreading from a yard. Cascading down steep bank. Associated vegetation: Ficus cf. platypoda, Andropogon virginicus, Eucalyptus. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN starr, f. martz, k. collector number: 001206-2 Maui BISH 12/6/2000
17 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Lyon Arboretum, University of Hawaii, Manoa Valley, on grounds Mesic-wet forest, disturbed roadside, partial shade PRESERVED_SPECIMEN G. J. Ray 60 Oahu HAPI 1/3/1998
18 Alpinia mutica Roxb. East Maui, Makawao District, Huelo, in residential area adjacent to pastures on old Hana Hwy In a thicket spreading from a yard. Cascading down steep bank. Associated vegetation: Ficus cf. platypoda, Andropogon virginicus, Eucalyptus. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Starr, F. Martz, K. Collector Number: 001206-2 Maui BISH 12/6/2000
19 Alpinia mutica Roxb. waihee valley. utm 618338, 2371832 PRESERVED_SPECIMEN oed frohlich, d.; lau, a. collector number: 2007060401 Molokai BISH 6/4/2007
20 Alpinia mutica Roxb. Waihee Valley. UTM 618338, 2371832 Wet to Mesic lowland forest, about 30 m up slope from main stream in open understory. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN OED 2007060401 Oahu BISH 6/4/2007
21 Alpinia mutica Roxb. honolulu PRESERVED_SPECIMEN degener, o. collector number: 10840a Oahu BISH 9/3/1935
22 Alpinia mutica Roxb. honolulu; 622 judd street PRESERVED_SPECIMEN judd jr., a.f. collector number: s.n. Oahu BISH 11/12/1930
23 Alpinia mutica Roxb. honolulu harbor PRESERVED_SPECIMEN degener, o. collector number: 8107 Oahu BISH 1/20/1932
24 Alpinia mutica Roxb. honolulu: 622 judd street PRESERVED_SPECIMEN judd jr., a.f. collector number: s.n. Oahu BISH 11/12/1930
25 Alpinia mutica Roxb. honolulu; 2245 oahu ave., garden of e. m. ehrhorn PRESERVED_SPECIMEN st.john, h. collector number: 20033 Kauai BISH 5/1/1939
Back to Top