Common Names:
Red ginger
‘Awapuhi-‘ula-‘ula
Kaopi kura (Cook Islands)
Thevunga (Fiji)
Kamapui futi kula (Niuean)
Teuila (Samoan)
Opuhi uteute (Tahitian)
Tevunga (Tonga)

Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division; Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida - Monocotyledons
Subclass: Zingiberidae
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Alpinia Roxburgh - Alpinia
Species: purpurata (Vieill.) K. Schum. - Red ginger
Cultivar: ‘Eileen McDonald’

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

The leaves are oblong and lack a stalk (petiole) and the blade can be up to 80 cm long and 23 cm wide. The flowers are produced in clusters at the ends of the branches in an inflorescence that grows to 30 cm long. Each inflorescence is made up of many colorful bracts that surrounds 1-2 (sometimes up to 5) flowers. The lower bracts in the flower cluster contain flowers and the upper bracts are often sterile and serve only to attract pollinators and fruit dispersers to the plant. The bracts of Alpinia purpurata are typically red, however, the bracts of the cultivar ‘Eileen McDonald’ are pink. Other cultivars known as ‘Kimi’ and ‘Kazu’ have pink bracts with red margins. Each flower has white petals that form a narrow tube and are barely visible above the top of the bract. Each flower contain six stamens (pollen producing structures), but only one of these is fertile and the remaining five stamens do not produce pollen. The infertile stamens are fused together forming a lip, which is showy and may also serve to attract pollinators to the flowers. The round, three parted fruit is red and dry at maturity, grows to 3.17 cm and contains many small seeds that are 3 mm long. Fruit is rarely produced in this species.

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

It is extensively cultivated as an ornamental in tropical regions and has escaped from cultivation and is naturalized in both Hawaii and Fiji. It was first introduced into Hawai‘i prior to 1930 and is now naturalized on Hawaii, Kaua‘i, and Moloka‘i. The cultivar Alpinia purpurata ‘Eileen McDonald’ was introduced to Hawai‘i from Tahiti in 1973.
(Pacific Biodiversity and Information Forum, 2007. ‘Eileen McDonald’ Ginger. Accessed online on September 14, 2007 at http://www.pbif.org/images/default.html.)
(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

This species grows in partial shade and can form dense stands in native rainforests. It requires abundant water and nutrient rich soil. Extensive rhizome production (spreading horizontal stems) means that this species can form large clusters once it becomes established. The persistent underground rhizomes must be removed during eradication efforts to prevent regeneration of plants through sprouting of these rhizomes.

(Alpinia purpurata, Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Accessed on-line on September 15, 2007 at http://www.hear.org/pier/species/alpinia_purpurata.htm.)
(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

Plants grown in Hawai‘i that are harvested for use as cut flowers require insect disinfestation prior to being sent to the mainland USA. Current treatments for Red ginger include hand washing in water and pre- and post-harvest treatment with insecticide. The application of insecticidal solutions does not reduce the vase life of the inflorescences, however, this process is labor intensive. Alternative treatments such as submerging inflorescences in hot water at 40 oC for 15 minutes followed by a second treatment at 50oC for 12-15 minutes has been shown to be effective for insect disinfestation and extends vase life of the cut flowers.

(Chantrachit, T. and R. E. Paull. 1998. Effect of hot water on red ginger (Alpinia purpurata) inflorescence vase life. Postharvest Biology and Technology 14: 77-86.)
(Hata, T.Y., A.H. Hara, E.B. Jang, L.S. Imaino, B.K.S. Hu, V.L. Tenbrink. 1992. Pest management before harvest and insecticidal dip after harvest as a systems approach to quarantine security for red ginger. Journal of Economic Entomology 85: 2310-2316.)
(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

(Alpinia purpurata, Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Accessed on-line on September 15, 2007 at http://www.hear.org/pier/species/alpinia_purpurata.htm.)