Discovered two new species of ginger in Myanmar

Scientists from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) announced the discovery of two new species of the Ginger family in Kachin state.

In a survey of flowering plants in northern Myanmar, a team from XTBG found two specimens from the Ginger family with many unusual features in the town of Putao, Kachin state. The detailed analysis and comparison of morphology shows that they are the unknown species in the genus Amomum .

Two new species were named Amomum erythranthum and Amomum ampliflorum . They all grow in shaded places inside the mountain rainforest and bloom in April.

A. erythranthum is found at an altitude of 900 - 1,100 m, morphologically looks quite similar to two sub- species A. A. subulatum and A. nimkeyense. They all have yellow flowers but A. erythranthum has red colonies, red fruits with many fuzz.

Flower of Amomum erythranthum.(Photo: Phys).

Meanwhile, A. ampliflorum grows at lower altitudes, about 850 - 1,000 m. Their flowers are white, similar to A. max, A. dealbatum and A. odontocarpum , but have a larger size and longer blooming time.

Flower of Amomum ampliflorum.(Photo: Phys).

Ginger family, scientific name Zingiberaceae, includes 53 genera and 1,377 species. Among them, Amomum is the second largest genus with about 150 - 180 species. The team's new findings have been published in the phytotaxa plant journal.

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