The inflorescence of Hedychium ‘Tara’
‘Tara’ ginger lily has been the subject of debate among Hedychium taxonomists: Hedychium coccineum ‘Tara’ or Hedychium gardnerianum ‘Tara’ or a hybrid? This photograph was submitted as Hedychium gardnerianum ‘Tara’, while I’ve chosen to use what we’ve settled on at UBC with the plants in our collection, Hedychium ‘Tara’.
The long-exserted stamens and stigmas of the flowers of this genus hint at an interesting pollination mechanism. In most flowers, pollen attaches itself to the main body of the insect. In Hedychium, however, pollen transfer occurs via the wings of moths and butterflies. The lepidopterans brush their wings against the floral parts as they move from flower to flower seeking nectar, spreading and pollinating as they go. (source: Zomlefer’s Guide to Flowering Plant Families, 1994).
For a gardening perspective on Hedychium ‘Tara’, check out the Royal Horticultural Society’s profile of Hedychium ‘Tara’, complete with cultivation and propagation information.
Botany resource link: Scott’s Botanical Links. If you’re the sort of person who likes daily botanical offerings, you will likely enjoy Dr. Scott Russell’s Botanical Links. Since 1996(!), Dr. Russell of the University of Oklahoma has shared a link to a botanical resource, with accompanying commentary and a rating. Email and RSS feeds available!
The cultivar ‘Tara’ originated from seed collected by Tony Schilling (ex Kew plant collector) near Kathmandu, Nepal (in The Plantsman 4: pg129 (1982)) and described and sold under H. gardnerianum ‘Tara’ in England. However, it is more properly identified as H. speciosum var. gardnerianum ‘Tara’. It differs from H. coccineum in that it has fragrant flowers with a flat labellum and also often has two flowers open in the same bract while H. coccineum has non-fragrant flowers, an infundibuliform labellum and ony has one flower open in each bract.
‘Tara’ is and has always been sold in the U.K. as H. coccineum ‘Tara’.
i introduced H coccineum by seed from Darjeeling years ago.
It has proved very invasive or vigorously naturalizing depending on perspective.
I have 100 – 200 self sown clumps flowering. One is EXACTLY like Tara.
Hi,
Where I can get Hedychium coccineum ‘Tara’ in Canada?
I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS ORANGE GINGER ROOTED PLANT FOR AGES. MY SIS IN LAW JUST FOUND YOU. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF GROWER AND WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A PLANT.
SINCERELY,
ETHEL MIYASHIRO OF MONTEREY PARK, CA 91755
I bought this ginger from Hawaiian Botanicals in Richmond, BC. They have a website.
Love this plant!
Plants that are vegetatively propagated from the original introduction are fragrant and a good orange as shown in the picture. But it has been much distributed now from seed-sown stock which is variable. If you have a butterfly ginger that you purchased as ‘Tara’ but is salmon-colored or not fragrant, you probably have a seed-grown plant. The fact that a seed-sown grex can produce nonfragrant individuals as well as those with lighter-colored flowers supports the theory that ‘Tara’ might be a hybrid between T. gardnerianum and T. coccineum.
Both species are probably involved: the tepalae, mainly labellum, are of H. coccineum, but colours of tepalae and of the stamens resemble those of H. gardnerianum.
Both species are invasive in Brazilian forests, but H. coccineum does not set seeds, produced freely by H. gardnerianum, which loves high ranges.
Worst as invasive in Brazil are H. flavescens, and H. coronarium, fertile and too prolific.
Hybridization may gat worse the problem of invasions in natural habitats, mainly in wetlands, and in rainforests.
Celso Lago-Paiva
Instituto Pró-Endêmicas
Minas Gerais, Brazil
instituto_proendemicas@hotmail.com
Following up on this many years later, it seems the debate has settled on recognizing it as a hybrid, so the convention now seems to be Hedychium ‘Tara’ (and I’ve updated the entry to reflect that).