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THE PAGE BULLETIN 12 / JANUARY 2005 THE BULLETIN / JANUARY PAGE 2010 13The Genus PlagiostachysJana Leong-Škorničková, Senior Researcher(Zingiberaceae), Herbarium,Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 ClunyRoad, 259569 Singapore(jana_SKORNICKOVA@nparks.gov.sg)Reprinted with permission from Gardenwise (SingaporeBotanic Gardens), vol. 30: 35 (January 2008). Photos bythe author.This genus was first established in 1899 by the formerdirector of the Gardens, H.N. Ridley. Since then, almost30 species have been described from Indochina toMalesia, with its centre of diversity in Borneo. Thesestately gingers usually have rather small flowers. Theseare tightly arranged in dense slanting spikes, which breakout from the leafy shoot usually somewhere in the middleor lower half of the pseudostem, and rarely close tothe ground. Their inflorescences are often covered in aslimy mass. The peculiar position of inflorescence inspiredRidley to choose its botanical name based on theGreek words Plagio meaning oblique and stachys referringto the spike-like inflorescence.The study of this genus is particularly challengingas most flowers of Plagiostachys tend to quickly disintegrateinto slimy thick mass. However, modern molecularapproaches may clarify the position of this genus especiallyin relation to the genus Alpinia, which seemsclosely related. Recent DNA-based studies of the tribeAlpinieae (where genera Alpinia, Plagiostachys, Amomumand several others belong) have shown that somemembers of the genus Plagiostachys may actually becloser to others in the genus Alpinia. Unfortunately, gardenersmay have to put up with likely name changes inthe near future.Plagiostachys albiflora is one of the first species described.Found on Mt. Kukub in Johor State, Peninsular Malaysia in 1908by Ridley, this species seems to be widely distributed. In Borneo,it is reported to grow abundantly in wet places on the edgesof lowland forests. It displays a certain level of variability requiringdetailed studies of living materials and molecular studies toelucidate this species complex. Under the magnifying lens, thetiny flower of P. albiflora (less than 1 cm long) reveals its beautywith its single stamen placed above the petal-like labellum. Thespecific name albiflora, means ‘white flower’. Interestinglyenough, with the yellow centre of the labellum and red lines at itsedges, the flowers are not really white, as one would expect.Fortunately, Ridley’s original description published for this speciesmentioned this colour pattern, removing doubts of the identityof this species.Plagiostachys breviramosa, a new species recently described in1999 by Jill Cowley, has small and delicate yellow flowers. Itoccurs in many parts of Borneo. Unusual for its branched inflorescence,it is one of the Plagiostachys species which does notexude a slimy mass. The inflorescence is rather dry after theflowering finishes and its dark red fruits are ovoid and smooth.Plagiostachys crocydocalyx is one of the stateliest specieswidely distributed in Borneo. German botanist K.Schumann originally described it as a member of thegenus Alpinia in 1899, but the species was transferredto the genus Plagiostachys in 1972. Its round fruits arefull of aromatic seeds with sour-sweet arils. Local peopleoften chew them.
PAGE THE BULLETIN 14 / JANUARY 2010 THE BULLETIN / JANUARY PAGE 2005 13More Plagiostachys at Lyon ArboretumRaymond F. Baker, Lyon Arboretum, Universityof Hawai`i, 3860 Mānoa Road, Honolulu,Hawaii, USA 96822(raymondb@hawaii.edu)Following the lead of Jana Leong-Škorničková, nowthat she has brought this unusual and little known genus toour awareness, we would like to take this opportunity toshow a few more species growing at the Lyon Arboretumon Oahu in Hawai`i. These are only a few of the gingerspecies given to us over the years by John Mood, many ofwhich resulted from his collecting trips in Sabah (Borneo),and other parts of southeast Asia. Plagiostachys are notalways easy to grow, and the three pictured here are theones that have done the best under our conditions. Wehave also tried P. lasiophylla, P. parva, and several withoutspecies names, some of which are undescribed. Ms.Avelinah Julius, of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia,is currently working on the genus.Join the up-coming HSI 16th Conference in July2010 for an opportunity to see Plagiostachys in thewild during the post-conference trip to Sarawak!Dorsal viewSide viewVentral viewP. oblanceolata Gobilik & A.L. LambDorsal viewSide viewSide viewVentral viewP. megacarpa Julius & A. TakanoVentral viewP. strobilifera Ridley
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