Scentless Turmeric is a small herb with one of the showiest
flowers in all Curucuma species. They are large pink.
Flowers spikes are 10-16 x 4-5 cm with a distinct, violet coma, carried on
flower-cluster-stalks 5-10 cm long.
Coma bracts are large, 4-5.5 x 1.5 cm, tip rounded, ovate or
lanceshaped. Fertile bracts are 3.5-4 x 1.5 cm, tip slightly pointed or
round, not recurved, pale green with a purple patch at the tip.
Flowers are 4.5-5.5 cm long, equal to the bracts. Sepal-cup
tubular, 1-1.2 cm long, shortly and irregularly trilobed at tip,
white, tube minutely velvet-hairy. Flower tube is about 2.5 cm long,
deep purple, velvet-hairy; petals unequal, dorsal petal 1.6 x 1 cm,
apiculate, lateral petals 1-1.3 x 0.5 cm, ovate-lanceshaped, deep purple,
hairless. Lip is obovate, obscurely trilobed, tip notched, purple with a
median bright yellow band. Leafy shoots are 20-50
cm tall, pseudostem 8-10 cm long. Leaves are distichous, 3-6, stalked;
leaf-stalk 20-25 cm long; blade 15-30 x 7-12 cm, elliptic,
base oblique, tip tapering.
Fruit is spherical to ovoid, 1-1.2 x 0.9 cm, brown, hairy.
Scentless Turmeric is endemic to Peninsular India. Flowering: May-August.
Medicinal uses: Scentless Turmeric is used by the tribals as a
hair tonic and for cure of wounds.
Identification credit: M. Sabu
Photographed in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra & Narsapur forest, Andhra Pradesh.
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The flower labeled Scentless Turmeric is ...