Tanya & Hua Loo Loo in Switzerland

  今天又像神經病一樣對著花拍照 I was acting like a crazy woman taking lots photos of the flowers which I bought this afternoon ....   This is the first time time I have seen this kind of flower .... quite pretty ...  


Curcuma alismatifolia 'Pink' - Siam Tulip - Chiang Mai Pink

                
The 'Pink Tulip Ginger' superficially resembles a tulip in appearance and originates from Thailand.

 The rose-pink inflorescence makes a good cut flower appearing during the summer.  Like other Curcumas it goes dormant from November to May and this is the time when bulbs can be supplied. Some countries have imposed import restrictions on Curcuma alismatifolia because of a bacterium which occasionally infects these gingers. A special declaration on the Phytosanitary Certificate may be necessary to import C.alismatifolia to your country.Can be grown in full sun to 30% of shade while reaching a height of about 2'.  A single bulb may produce 3 to 4 inflorescences during the first year if conditions are ideal.
Curcumas like a rich but well drained soil with adequate moisture. While dormant the bulbs should be kept dry.

約五年前curcuma初次登陸台灣，其酷似荷花的花形，著實令花界人士過目難忘，驚豔不已.  curcuma的故鄉－泰國 薑荷花原產於泰國清邁一帶，屬薑科(Zingiberaceae) 鬱金屬(Curcuma)，學名為Curcuma al-simatifolia，Curcuma屬為阿拉伯語的Kurkum(黃金)一語而來，中名即稱為鬱金，為中國古代常見的藥草植物，原產分布於熱帶亞洲、非洲、澳洲等地區，約有40～50種。

薑荷花為多年生草本的熱帶花卉，地下球莖為圓球狀，會有4－5個營養球著生。葉巨大呈長橢圓型。花莖由葉腋間抽出，為穗狀花序，苞片在花序下位為綠色，花序上端1/2～1/3為粉紅色，是觀賞的主要部位，小花為唇形花，花瓣白色，唇形瓣為紫色，隨著小花開放，頂部的苞片也會逐漸開展，如同荷花開放般，相當漂亮。