Description
Ginger comes from the rhizome, or root of a herbaceous perennial plant (Zingiber officinale) of the Zingiberaceae family. It is a tropical plant with the centre of origin in India and Malaysia. Ginger has the ability to grow in a wide variety of land types and areas, however is best produced when grown in a warm, humid environment, at an elevation between 300 and 900 m and in well-drained soils.
The plant grows to a height of about 3 feet and its flowers are purple and pale in yellow. The leafy stems of ginger grow about a metre high. The leaves are 6 to 12 inches long. The flowers are in dense conelike spikes about 1 inch thick and 2 to 3 inches long. By the time, it is 4 months old, the rhizomes are ready to be harvested. The best time to harvest ginger is when the leaves have all gone.
