A Description of Curcuma

Plant Traits

• The Curcuma longa plants grow in warm and moist conditions. The plant, native to Asia, stands up to 2 feet tall with broad green leaves that grow from a crown at ground level. The rhizome, the below ground portion of the roots that grow horizontally forming new leaves and roots, are harvested and powdered to form turmeric. The rhizomes are also the plant's common means of reproduction. The plant thrives in partial shade.

Flower Traits

• The plant blooms in summer, setting pink flowers on a single stem extending up from the center of the plant. The type of bloom has given some varieties of the plant the common name of Siam tulip.

Growing Traits

• The Curcuma longa plants are true warm-season and warm-climate plants. Temperatures dropping below 50 degrees Fahrenheit can damage the plant. For this reason, the plant is an indoor container plant in all but the most Southern climates of the United States. New plants are commonly started from the rhizome, which should also include a portion of the crown of the plant.

Similar Cultivars

• A number of species within the Curcuma genus exist. These include the Curcuma petiolata, C. roscoeana and C. domestica. Each forms different colors of blooms. Plants of the Curcuma genus are all related to the other plants within the broader Zingiberaceae family that includes ginger.