Botanical name:Curcuma amadaFamily:Zingiberaceae (Ginger family) Synonyms: Curcuma amada var. glabra
Mango Ginger is a perennial herb with creeping
tuberous root which smells like raw mango when bruised, which gives it
the common name. The species name amada comes from the Bengali
name Aamada (आमादा). Flowers are borne in a spike 7-15 cm long, 3-4 cm
broad, consisting of pale green bracts, those with coma pinkish.
Flowers are whitish with a pale yellow lip, about as long as the
bracts. Leaves are elliptic-oblong 30-40 cm long, 15 cm or more broad.
Mostly found in the Western Assam and Central Assam, some times
cultivated. The roots are very similar to common ginger but lack its
pungency, and have a raw mango flavour. They are used in making pickles
in south India and chutneys in north India. It is served as chutney in
community feasts in Nepal's southern plains. Mango Ginger is found in
India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand.
Identification credit: Surajit Koley
Photographed in Hoogly, West Bengal.
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The flower labeled Mango Ginger is ...