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Mango Ginger
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Mango Ginger
P Native Photo: Surajit Koley
Common name: Mango Ginger • Bengali: আমাদা Amada • Hindi: आम हल्दी Am-haldi • Kannada: ಅಂಬೆಹಳದಿ Ambe haldi, Amba-halad • Malayalam: Mannayinchi • Manipuri: ꯌꯥꯢ ꯍꯩꯅꯧꯃꯥꯟ Yai heinouman • Marathi: आंबेहळद Ambehalad • Sanskrit: अम्रगंधा Amragandha • Tamil: Arukamlaka, Mankayyinchi • Telugu: Arukamlaka-choram, Arukanla kachoram • Urdu: Aamba haldi ﺁﻣﺒﺎ ﺣﻠﺪﯼ
Botanical name: Curcuma amada    Family: 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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