Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
← Explore Plants
Plant · P-635
Lesser Galangal
Alpinia officinarum
Lesser galangal is the smaller and sharper of the two galangals - the hard dark rhizome tastes of pepper and ginger at once, and it has been traded as spice and medicine for well over a thousand years, reaching Europe from China around the ninth century. The leaves are edible too and the fruit stands in for cardamom. It is genuinely tropical, with a hard floor around 59 F (15 C), and it is fussier about soil chemistry than most of its relatives: it wants acid ground and will not take alkaline or calcareous soil at all. Partial shade suits it better than open sun, which makes it an understorey crop rather than a bed plant, and it widens by branching rhizome into a clump that harvesting is what keeps in check.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Partial Sun · Shade
- USDA zone
- USDA 11–12
- Soil
- Loam
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moist
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 4–6
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 3.3–4.9 ft
- Mature spread
- 3–5 ft
- Plant spacing
- 14–20 in
- Root type
- Rhizome
- Spread pattern
- Root
Keep exploring
Similar plants
Discover more plants with shared forest layers or growing conditions.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
Aloe Vera is a stemless, clump-forming succulent with thick, spiny-edged leaves that store a clear gel used to soothe burns, wounds and skin…
Herbaceous · USDA 10–12
Amaranth Greens
Amaranthus tricolor
Amaranth greens are one of the few leafy vegetables actually built for peak summer heat rather than one that just tolerates it - sown once…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
Arrowroot
Maranta arundinacea
Arrowroot's rhizome is ground into a fine, easily digested starch used to thicken soups, sauces and pastries without leaving any mealy flavor…
Herbaceous · USDA 10–12
Arugula
Eruca vesicaria
Arugula is the fastest food crop in the collection, germinating in about a day and giving a first harvest of strongly peppery leaves within…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Basil is a fast-growing aromatic herb, perennial in the tropics but killed outright by frost, which is why it is grown as an annual almost…
Herbaceous · USDA 10–11
Black Cardamom
Amomum subulatum
Black cardamom is the large smoky cousin of true cardamom - the dark brown pods are crushed whole into rice, lentils, curries and…
Herbaceous · USDA 9–11
The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
- Locked research reference
- Locked research reference
- Locked research reference