Alpinia caerulea aka Blue Berry Ginger

Alpinia caerulea has the common name native ginger. It is part of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Its home range spans Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. There, it grows from eastern Queensland to northeastern New South Wales. This herb lives for years in a wet tropical climate. It grows wild in coastal rainforest and beside rainforest streams. Damp gullies in eucalyptus forests also suit it.

The plant grows in loose clumps with upright stems. Each stem has no branches. It grows from a creeping rhizome, a stem below ground. This stem lets the clump spread as it grows. The listed height is about 5 feet [1.5 metres]. A more detailed plant account gives 6.6 feet [2 metres]. These heights refer to a leafy herb, not a woody shrub. People use its broad leaves to wrap food before cooking.

The blue fruit measures about 0.6 inches across. It can stay on the plant for several months. A small amount of tart flesh grows around the seeds. People eat this flesh raw. Aboriginal Australians have long prized the fruit as food. People also pick the wild plant for local food use. The supplied accounts give no season for the flowers. Nor do they describe the flowers in detail.

People can also eat the young rhizome tips. These tender tips have a taste like ginger. Older parts have too much fibre to eat. Taste varies from plant to plant. Some taste too strong for many people. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known hazards for this species. This does not mean the plant is safe for pets. That source also lists no known uses as medicine. People weave the leafy stems together to make short-term shelters.

Grow it in part shade, in soil rich in humus. These needs fit the moist forests where it grows. The evidence gives no frost limit or hardiness zone. Growers can start plants from seed or split the rhizomes. Sow the seed while fresh and ripe. The source says plants grow from seed with ease. But it warns of damping off, a disease of seedlings. This can cause trouble while the plants are young. The supplied species account lists no other pest or disease problems.