Plant family
Gingers — Zingiberaceae
115 species across 13 genera in the Growli library
The ginger family brings edible ginger and turmeric together with the flamboyant ornamental gingers — ginger lilies (Hedychium), shell ginger (Alpinia), spiral gingers (Costus) and peacock gingers (Kaempferia) — grown for aromatic rhizomes and exotic, often fragrant blooms.
Browse gingers by genus
All gingers we cover
- African Wild Ginger
- Alpinia Zerumbet 'Variegata'
- Arabian Spiral Flag
- Beehive Ginger
- Black Cardamom
- Black Turmeric
- Candy Stripe Ginger
- Cape York Lily
- Cassumunar Ginger
- Cassumunar Purple Ginger
- Cautley Roscoea
- Cheerful Dancing Ginger
- Chinese Cardamom
- Common Ginger
- Costus Woodsonii
- Crepe Ginger
- Crimson Ginger Flower
- Curcuma Alismatifolia
- Dancing Girl Ginger
- Dancing Ladies Ginger
- Dense Ginger Lily
- Dwarf Cardamom
- Dwarf Shell Ginger
- East Indian Arrowroot
- Elegant Peacock Ginger
- Elliptic Ginger Lily
- Fiery Costus
- Fingerroot Ginger
- Fingerroot Ginger
- Forrest Ginger Lily
- Forrest's Ginger Lily
- Galanga Resurrection Lily
- Galangal
- Giant Ginger Lily
- Giant Plume Ginger
- Gilbert Peacock Ginger
- Golden-Flowered Ginger
- Graceful Cautleya
- Grass-Leaved Ginger
- Greater Galangal
- Green's Ginger Lily
- Guatemalan Spiral Ginger
- Hairy Ginger Lily
- Hairy Spiral Ginger
- Heart-Leaved Curcuma
- Hemisphere Torch Ginger
- Hooker's Ginger Lily
- Hume Roscoea
- Indian Snap Ginger
- Intermediate Galangal
- Japanese Ginger
- Kahili Ginger
- Kirk Wild Ginger
- Lemon-Scented Ginger
- Lesser Galangal
- Lesser Shell Ginger
- Light Yellow Shell Ginger
- Long-Flowered Boesenbergia
- Long-Horned Ginger Lily
- Maingay Torch Ginger
- Maingay's Ginger
- Maranta-Leaved Globba
- Myanmar Purple Ginger
- Narrow-Leaved Kaempferia
- Neglected Ginger
- Nimmo's Ginger
- Open Dancing Ginger
- Orange Tulip Ginger
- Painted Spiral Ginger
- Peacock Ginger
- Peacock Plant Ginger
- Pineapple-Head Ginger
- Pink Hidden Ginger
- Pink Porcelain Lily
- Pink Torch Ginger
- Pointed-Cap Ginger
- Powdery Spiral Ginger
- Pretty Peacock Ginger
- Purple Roscoea
- Queen Lily
- Raceme Dancing Ginger
- Red Ginger
- Red Spiral Ginger
- Red Stem Ginger Lily
- Red Tower Ginger
- Red-Leaved Spiral Ginger
- Resurrection Lily
- Rough Spiral Ginger
- Round Cardamom
- Rusty Turmeric
- Scarlet Ginger Lily
- Scarlet Torch Ginger
- Schomburgk's Dancing Ginger
- Shampoo Ginger
- Slender Ginger Lily
- Smooth Spiral Ginger
- Snap Ginger
- Spiked Cautleya
- Spiked Ginger Lily
- Stepladder Ginger
- Taiwan Shell Ginger
- Thyrse Ginger Lily
- Torch Ginger
- Tropical Crocus
- Tsao-Ko Cardamom
- Turmeric
- Variable Dancing Ginger
- Variegated Shell Ginger
- White Dancing Ginger
- White Ginger Lily
- Wild Turmeric
- Yellow Dancing Ginger
- Yellow Ginger Lily
- Yellow Ginger Lily
- Zedoary
Gingers — frequently asked questions
Are gingers toxic to cats and dogs?
Most gingers are not pet-safe. Of the 115 gingers in the Growli library, 100 (87%) carry a toxic or mildly-toxic ASPCA classification and 15 are pet-safe. They are not uniformly safe, so always confirm the exact species on its pet-safety page before trusting it around cats or dogs.
How much light do gingers need?
Most gingers want bright, indirect light — 75 of the 115 in our library do best there. If yours stretches toward the window or loses its variegation it needs more light; scorched or bleached leaves mean it is getting too much.
Are gingers easy to care for?
Gingers are moderate to grow: the one real requirement is a genuinely bright spot out of harsh midday sun. Get the light right and most of the rest of their care follows.
What is the Zingiberaceae family?
The Zingiberaceae family — the gingers — groups 115 species across 13 genera in the Growli library, most prominently Hedychium, Alpinia, Costus. Members share a broadly similar light, water and soil pattern, which is why it pays to learn the family before the individual plant.
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