Hellenia (=Cheilocostus)

Scientific name

Hellenia Retz.

Common names

crepe ginger, cane-reed, Malay ginger

Family

Costaceae

Similar genera

Hedychium

Native distribution

southeastern Asia (Indo-Malaysia to New Guinea)

Species cultivated

Hellenia speciosa (J.Koenig) S.R. Dutta

Adventive distribution

none

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

large, littorallittoral:
(adj) of or along the shore
herb

Brief description

Perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
, rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
. Stem branching, erect or spreading. Leaves spirally arranged; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
short; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
to ellipticelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
or ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, underside pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuminate or with a subulatesubulate:
(adj) awl-shaped; tapering from base to apex
point; base cuneatecuneate:
(adj) wedge-shaped; triangular, with narrow end at the base
to rounded, sheathing; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
± parallel, midribmidrib:
(n) the main or central vein, line or rib in a leaf or perianth segment
distinct. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
spikespike:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranching inflorescence of sessile flowers or flower clusters on a usually elongated axis
; bracts red to brown; bracteoles present. Flowers actinomorphicactinomorphic:
(adj) of flowers, having radial symmetry; capable of being bisected into identifical halves along more than one axis
, white; calyxcalyx:
(n) the outer whorl of the perianth; all the sepals of a flower
exceeding the bracts, 3-lobed, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
with a hardened point; petals 3, fused, tube cup-shaped, crepe-like; stamenstamen:
(n) the male reproductive organ in a flower, consisting of a pollen-bearing anther and a filament
petaloid, white with orange-yellow spot.

Natural habitat

moist to wet places

Additional comments

A genus of five species, Hellenia is commonly referred to as the synonym Cheilocostus. In 2006 Cheilocostus was published as a new genus in Costaceae, with the type species C. speciosus being based on Banksea speciosa J.Koenig. The generic name Banksea J.Koenig is a parahomonym of Banksia J.R.Forster & G.Forster, therefore Cheilocostus was to replace Banksea. Yet, Retzius had published Hellenia as a replacement for Banksea far earlier in 1791. Based on nomenclatural priority the older name is recognized here and in most literature (Hellenia Retz.; Govaerts, 2013).