1081

 Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb.

Synonym	:	Curcuma malabarica Velayudhan
Family	:	Zingiberaceae
Local name	:	Malayalam – Neela koova
Flowering and fruiting period	:	April to May
Distribution	:	Myanmar, Malaysia, India
Uses	:	Food and Medicine
Key botanical characters:   Rhizome large, 5-6 x 9-10 cm, blue in the centre, strongly aromatic. Plants large, 70-100 cm tall, pseudostem 30-35 cm tall, sheaths green. Leaves distichous, 79-100 cm; petiole as long as lamina; lamina 30-40 x 10-12 cm, oblong-lanceolate, purple or reddish-brown patch along the sides on the distal half of the mid rib on upper side only, fading at maturity, groove of the midrib green. Inflorescence lateral, 25-30 cm long, peduncle 12-18 cm; spike 12-15 x 5 cm; coma bracts large, pink to violet, lower ones streaked green. Fertile bracts 18-20, 4.5-5 x 4.4-5 cm, lower half fused, tip rounded, green with a pink tip. Flowers 4.5-5 cm equal to or slightly shorter than the bracts.