Zingiber

Zingiber
Zingiber officinale
1896 illustration
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Subfamily: Zingiberoideae
Tribe: Zingibereae
Genus: Zingiber
Mill., 1754
Synonyms
  • Amomum L., rejected name
  • Pacoseroca Adans.
  • Thumung J.Koenig in A.J.Retzius
  • Dieterichia Giseke
  • Jaegera Giseke
  • Cassumunar Colla
  • Zerumbet T.Lestib. 1841, illegitimate homonym, not Garsault 1764 nor J.C. Wendl. 1798
  • Dymczewiczia Horan.

Zingiber is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zingiberaceae. It is native to China, the Indian subcontinent, New Guinea, and Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. It contains the true gingers, plants grown the world over for their culinary value. The most well known species are Z. officinale and Z. mioga, two garden gingers. The genus name comes from Latin borrowing the Tamil name for the first species.