Online Edible Plants - Ginger and Spices

Black Pepper Vine Cardamom Leaf Ginger Cardamom - True Cinnamon Tree Galangal Ginger Kencur Krachai / Chinese Keys Tasmanian Pepper Turmeric Vanilla Bean

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List of all plant growing information

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Black Pepper Vine UT
Piper nigrum
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Black pepper is a tropical vine and prefers warm, moist conditions over the summer. In cold areas that experience frost it is best grown in a container and moved to a sheltered position during winter, another option is to grow it a large hanging basket. Growth will slow over the winter or during the dry season, so less water is required. The vigorous climbing vine can reach up to 4 metres long and requires support for its aerial roots. It needs a position with partial shade and protection from the hot afternoon sun. Overhead irrigation is recommended for good pollination at flowering time. The soil should be rich, moist and well-drained. Peppercorns can be harvested at different stages to provide green, black or white pepper.
Provided as tubestock.
GB135
GB136Save $1.90

Cardamom Leaf Ginger UT
Alpinia nutans
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Syn. Shellflower, Dwarf cardamom, False cardamom
Cardamom Leaf Ginger is one of the hardiest members of the ginger family with a wide range of uses. The plant forms good-sized clumps fairly rapidly and can be used as a 1 m tall screen. The evergreen foliage is attractive and can be used to create a tropical feel. The leaves have a very distinctive cardamom fragrance when crushed, although this is not the plant that produces the cardamom pods. Use the leaves in desserts; to add flavour to steamed rice, or to wrap fish. In a herbal tea they are delicious combined with lemongrass and ginger. The flowers are white, shell-like sprays and bloom prolifically. They are considered edible and can be used in salads or preserved in sugar to decorate cakes.The plants are surprisingly drought tolerant and resistant to pests and diseases. It will grow in full sun but prefers partial shade. One of our favourite uses is to cut and gather armfuls of fragrant leaves for mulching.
Provided as tubestock.
GC136
GC137Save $1.90

Cardamom - True UT
Elettaria cardamomum
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Cardamom is a member of the ginger family and native to tropical regions. It is a tall growing, to 3 m high, perennial spice plant that forms a very large clump over time. It does not tolerate very cold conditions or frost. Cardamom likes to grow in filtered light with regular watering. It prefers a rich, mildly acidic, loamy soil. The fresh leaves can be used to flavour rice but the main harvest is the small green seedpods containing one of the world's most expensive spices by weight. The spice is a common ingredient in Indian and Scandinavian cooking. In the Middle East it is used as a traditional flavouring in coffee and tea. Time to harvest: 3 years to produce seed pods.

Provided as tubestock.
GC123
GC124Save $1.90

Cinnamon Tree UT
Cinnamomum verum Syn. C. cinnamomum, C. zeylanicum
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Cinnamon is a very attractive, small tree native to Sri Lanka with glossy leaves and pretty pink new growth. The tree bears clusters of small star-shaped flowers in the spring followed by dark purple fruit. The spice is actually made from the bark of the tree which is peeled from the branches. Cinnamon trees grow between 9 and 15 metres and prefer a protected position in full sun to partial shade. Although it is a tropical tree it can survive frost. It can be grown in containers in cooler areas. To harvest the cinnamon bark, the central trunk is pruned back to encourage multi-trunks and side branches. This technique causes it to grow more like a bush to 3 metres high. The new shoots are cut and peeled to make cinnamon. Cinnamon trees require very well-drained soil, in poorly drained soils it is best to grow the trees on a raised mound.

Provided in mini pots.
GC125
GC126Save $1.90

Galangal 'Monkey Puzzle' UT
Alpinia galanga
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, TAS or WA
Syn. Thai ginger, laos, greater galangal, galingale, kha
An attractive foliage plant with spikes of small white flowers that grows best under trees in a moist position. The roots are large and white and used like ginger in Thai cooking but with a greater fragrance. Young shoots can also be steamed and eaten. Suitable for warm temperate to tropical areas. More info on growing galangal...

Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GG121

Provided as tubestock.
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
GG171
GG172Save $1.90

Galangal 'Red' UT
Alpinia galanga
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, TAS or WA
Syn. Thai ginger, laos, greater galangal, galingale, kha
Attractive foliage plant that will grow under trees in a moist position. The roots have a distinctive reddish colouring and are used like ginger in Thai cooking but with a greater fragrance. Young shoots can also be steamed and eaten. Suitable for warm temperate to tropical areas. More info on growing galangal...

Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GG127

Provided as tubestock.
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
GG129
GG140Save $1.90

Ginger 'Jumbo' UT
Zingiber officinale
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, TAS or WA
Syn. keong, khing, gung, halia, jahe, luya, shooga
Very easy to grow for a year round supply in frost-free areas. We plant in spring and harvest in autumn to avoid our cold winter. It is a shade-loving perennial herb native to the tropics and likes moisture.
More info on growing ginger...

Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GG123
GG110

Provided as tubestock.
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
GG180
GG181Save $1.90

Ginger - Myoga

UT Rare
Zingiber mioga
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, TAS or WA
Syn. Japanese Ginger
Myoga ginger is a perennial rhizome native to Japan, Korea and China. The leafy stems grow to 1 metre high with wide green leaves, similar in appearance to turmeric. Beautiful orchid-like pale yellow flowers bloom in autumn at ground level. In spring the spicy young shoots are harvested and used like the flower buds. The flower buds are used as a garnish, in soups, tempura, pickled and as a spice. Myoga requires a rich moist soil and the partial shade of its natural woodland habitat. It is the cold hardiest of the gingers and frost tolerant, especially if well mulched. It dies back in winter and will reshoot in spring. Suitable for subtropical and temperate areas.
More info on growing ginger...

Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GG158

Provided as tubestock.
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
GG156
GG157Save $1.90

Ginger - Pink Torch

UT
Etlingera elatior
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
This beautiful edible flower is really too pretty to eat but if you want to try, it is picked it at the bud stage. The buds have piquant, ginger-like flavour and add vibrant colour sliced as a garnish or used thinly sliced in a salad. The young, tender edible leaves are cooked with rice and the fruits are candied. It is a perennial tropical plant that can grow quite large to 3 - 5m high and spreads as a clump. The gorgeous, large, waxy pink flowers appear in summer. The entire shape of the bloom and flower stalk is said to resemble a torch, hence the plant's common name. It prefers a warm, humid climate but will grow as far south as Sydney in a sheltered microclimate. It will grow from full sun to partial shade in a protected position and requires moist, well-drained soil, rich in organic matter. The flowers are popular in floral arrangements, as well as in cooking for their sour-sweet flavour. The edible torch gingers are commonly called Bunga Kantan in Malaysia.
More info on growing ginger...

Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GG100

Ginger - Puyang

UT
Zingiber aromaticum
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
This shade-loving, ginger species grows to about 1.5 m. It is ornamental, with small yellow flowers appearing on striking red cones produced at the base of the plant. It is cultivated in Indonesian kitchen gardens, the tips of the young rhizomes, young leaf shoots and the yellow flowers are eaten raw or cooked with rice or used as a flavouring. The rhizome is fibrous, strongly aromatic and used medicinally.
More info on growing ginger...

Provided as tubestock.
GG169
GG170Save $1.90

Ginger - Red Back

UT
Alpinia caerulea
Syn. Native Ginger
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
This hardy, native ginger has lush, glossy-green leaves with attractive burgundy undersides. Both the leaves, bright blue berries (but not the seeds) and rhizomes are all edible and mildly ginger flavoured. It forms a clump 2 metres high and 2 metres wide. Small, fragrant white flowers appear from late spring to early summer. It is a native understorey in rainforest so prefers a warm, humid climate but will grow as far south as Sydney in a sheltered microclimate, it doesn't tolerate frost. It prefers a shady spot in a protected position and requires moist, well-drained soil, rich in organic matter.

Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GG102

Ginger - Red Tower

UT
Costus comosus
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Red Tower Ginger is ornamental and has edible flowers. The deep red bracts wrap around a bright yellow flower that can be thinly sliced and added to salads, it has a spicy ginger flavour with citrus overtones. The leaves are emerald green with an attractive spiralling appearance. It grows to 2.5 m high and can form a large clump, with flowering nearly year-round, both from the tops of the stems and from basal stems. It is surprisingly cold tolerant and will grow in most areas of Australia.

Provided as tubestock.
GR141
GR142Save $1.90

Kencur UT
Kaempferia galangal
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Syn. cekur, aromatic ginger, sand ginger, cutcherry, resurrection lily, sha jiang
Kencur is a rare, tropical, low growing perennial in the ginger family with very pretty, white and purple flowers produced at ground level. It has tuberous roots and rounded green spreading leaves. It is native to India and widely cultivated in China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The fresh rhizomes and young shoots are pickled, eaten raw or cooked as vegetables. The roots are pounded to make an essential ingredient of Indonesian satay sauce. In Malaysian cooking the roots and leaves are used in curry paste for fish and the young leaves are eaten raw as a vegetable. It grows well in the tropics and subtropics; in temperate areas it would need to be grown in a glasshouse. It prefers a shady spot in a protected position and requires moist, well-drained soil, rich in organic matter.
Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GK113

Provided in mini pots.
GK110
GK111Save $1.90

Krachai / Chinese Keys UT
Boesenbergia rotunda formerly P. pandurata
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Syn. Chinese Keys, Kachai, Kunci
Krachai belongs to the ginger family and is widely cultivated in Indonesia and Thailand for the aromatic, spicy flavour of its rhizome. It is used raw in salads, added to soups and curries especially those made with seafood. It dies back in winter and will reshoot in spring, growing to about 60 - 90 cm in height. Krachai requires a rich moist soil and partial shade. Suitable for subtropical and temperate areas. More info on growing krachai syn. Chinese Keys
Provided as tubestock.
GK102
GK107Save $1.90

Tasmanian Pepper

UT
Tasmannia lanceolata syn. Drimys aromatic
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Syn. Tasmanian pepperberry, Native pepper, Mountain pepper
Tasmania's native 'pepper' is a lovely rainforest shrub growing 2 - 5 metres high with glossy, dark green leaves, distinctive crimson stems and small creamy white flowers followed by black berries. It is native to Tasmania and south eastern Australia. It can be used both as an ornamental and a bush tucker plant. Both the berry and leaf are edible - the berry being an alternative to traditional pepper but more nutritious and high in antioxidants, while the leaf is used in a similar way to curry leaf or bay leaf. Both the leaves and fruit contain a hot tasting compound, polygodial, which has a fragrant, spicy taste. Polygodial has attracted scientific attention for its biological properties, as it is both antimicrobial and antifungal. The leaf can be dried, ground to a powder and used in bread and for flavouring meat, mustard, pate and cheese. Both a male and female tree are needed to produce the glossy pea-sized berries. The plant tolerates frosts and requires moist, well-drained acidic soil in a cool position with some shade.
1 male + 1 female plant provided as tubestock.
GT142

Turmeric 'Madras' UT
Curcuma domestica
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, TAS or WA
Syn. Indian saffron, ukon, nghe, wong-keong
Turmeric 'Madras' is a deep orange, excellent quality, culinary turmeric. A shade-loving hardy, perennial herb with a beautiful white flower spike. The root can be used fresh like ginger or dried and ground for curry powder. It has long been used in both Chinese and Indian medicine; recent research has shown that it is beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions. Turmeric was traditionally called Indian saffron and it is also used as a textile dye. Suitable for warm temperate to tropical areas. More info on growing turmeric...
Provided as several rhizomes per pack.
GT112
GT104

Provided as tubestock.
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
GT109
GT116Save $1.90

Turmeric - Temulawak UT RARE
Curcuma zanthorrhiza
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, TAS or WA
Syn. Javanese ginger
A shade-loving, hardy, beautiful plant that looks very similar to Cape York Turmeric Curcuma australasica but has a darker pink flower. Often used medicinally as it has a high percentage of curcumin. The root can be used fresh like turmeric or dried and ground as a spice. Suitable for subtropical and tropical areas. More info on growing turmeric...
Provided as a rhizome per pack.
GT126

Provided as tubestock.
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
GT144

Vanilla Bean UT
Vanillla planifolia
Not to Norfolk Island, NT, SA, TAS or WA
Syn. Vanilla Orchid
Real vanilla is a popular spice and the only edible fruit of a climbing orchid. It is a tropical plant native to Mexico and in its native rainforest habitat would climb up into trees, 2 - 5 metres high. The orchid flowers need to be hand-pollinated to produce pods which then take 9 months to develop. It needs support to grow on and a sheltered environment with protection from winds. It prefers to grow in bright light and dappled shade, some morning sun is good. It prefers a rich, organic, well-drained soil with a neutral pH 6.6 - 7.5 and to be well-mulched. If growing it in a container or hanging basket then an orchid mix works best. In cooler climates it can be grown in a greenhouse. Suitable for subtropical and tropical areas. Doing a bit of web research into growing techniques, hand pollination and how to ferment the pods is a good idea as this is a complex plant to grow successfully.
Provided as tubestock.
GV113
GV114Save $1.90