CURCUMA

Source: Hindu

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Context

Researchers have identified a new relative of turmeric, following an accidental discovery made during a field trip in Nagaland.

Details

About Curcuma ungmensis

• The plant belongs to the genus Curcuma (the ginger family Zingiberaceae).
• It stands 65-90-cm high with prominent yellow flowers at full growth.
• It has been given the name Curcuma ungmensis after Ungma, the village in Mokokchung district where it was found. 
• It is a rhizomatous herb. The rhizome part is branched and found deeply buried in the soil.
• Flowering occurs during the rainy season from August to October.
• The flowers open in the morning and last a single day. 
• It faces severe threats from road development, building construction and natural calamities.

TRIVIA:

A rhizome is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow horizontally. The rhizome also retains the ability to allow new shoots to grow upwards.

About Zingiberaceae

• Zingiberaceae or the ginger family is a family of flowering plants made up of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of aromatic perennial herbs.
• These are distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
• The family  has 21 genera and about 200 taxa in India. 

About Curcuma

• It is a genus of plants in the family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam tulip.
• They are native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea and northern Australia.
• A few species are also found in northern Australia and the south Pacific.
• Generally, most curcuma grows well in loose and sandy soil in shaded areas.
• Curcuma is a perennial, herbaceous plant that can reach a height of 1 meter.
• It emits numerous, edible rhizomes whose interiors are yellow or orange.
• These rhizomes are reduced to a powder, which is the spice called curcuma.
• In India, the genus is represented by about 40 species, found mainly in northeast and southern States and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Sources:Hindu

PRACTICE QUESTION Q: Consider the following: 1.Turmeric. 2.Mango ginger. 3.Siam Tulip Which of the above is/are considered part of the Curcuma family? a)1 and 2 b)2 and 3 c)None d)1, 2 and 3 Answer: d Explanation: Curcuma is one of the most important and largest genera of Zingiberaceae plant family, the best known being turmeric (Curcuma longa), black turmeric (Curcumacaesia) and mango ginger (Curcuma amada). Curcuma alismatifolia, Siam tulip or summer tulip is a tropical plant native to Laos, northern Thailand, and Cambodia. Despite its name, it is not related to the tulip, but is a close relative of turmeric.