Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tender Perennial
Grass
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Micronesia
Southeastern Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia
Types
Variegata Dwarf, Variegata Chinese Beauty
Saccharum officinarum
Number of Varieties
2036
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
agricultural areas, Wet lands
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-1510-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-5
12 - 9
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 8, 9, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Red, Light Pink
White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Lance shaped
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Average
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site, Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
By dividing rhizomes, tubers
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
High
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires plenty of water during the growing season
Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Average
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Cut off the flower stalks at the base of the plant, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune ocassionally, Remove dead branches, Remove Ferns
Fertilizers
Apply 8-4-6 amount
Equal amount of N,P,K, fertilize in growing season
Pests and Diseases
-
Beetles, Fusarium root rot, Head smut
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Heat Tolerance, Shade areas
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Butterflies, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
Rash
Diabetes, Sleepiness
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Maintains teeth healthy, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antiulcerogenic, Diuretic, Hypotensive
Aging, Antidepressant, Aphrodisiac, Appetite enhancer, Diuretic, Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Nutrients
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Rhizomes
Leaf Stalks, Leaves, Stem
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Leaves used for wrapping zongi, Used to flavour noodles, Used to wrap mochi rice cakes
Animal Feed, Biomass for fuel, Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Sometimes used for making wine
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Feature Plant, Tropical
Botanical Name
ALPINIA zerumbet
SACCHARUM officinarum
Common Name
Shell Ginger
Sugarcane
In Hindi
Shell Ginger
गन्ना
In German
Shell Ginger
Saccharum
In French
Shell Ginger
Canne à sucre
In Spanish
Shell jengibre
Saccharum
In Greek
Shell Τζίντζερ
Saccharum
In Portuguese
Shell Ginger
Cana-de-açúcar
In Polish
Shell Imbir
Saccharum
In Latin
Crusta Ginger
Saccharum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Lilopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Zingiberales
Cyperales
Family
Zingiberaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Alpinia
Saccharum
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Alpinieae
Andropogoneae
Subfamily
Alpinioideae
Panicoideae
Number of Species
15036
1
27800
👆🏻