WHITE BUTTERFLY GINGER

EDIBLE FLOWERBUDS & FLOWERS: Young buds and flowers are eaten or used for flavoring. "Hedychium coronarium is preferred in an ethnic dish of Manipur."
EDIBLE RHIZOMES: My friend, Hawaiian wildcrafting expert, Sunny Savage, wrote, "in addition to flowers & flower buds, I also add rhizome to my ferments!" The "root [is] cooked. A famine food, used when all else fails." [4]
MEDICINAL RHIZOME: The rhizome of Butterfly Ginger is used for headache, lancinating pain, contusion and is considered anti-inflammatory. It is also used as a febrifuge, tonic, excitant, and anti-rheumatic.”
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES: Antirheumatic, aromatic, carminative, febrifuge, stomachic.
MEDICINAL RHIZOME OIL: "The root contains 1.7% essential oil, which is used medicinally." [6]
PERFUMERY: "An essential oil obtained from the flowers is valued in high grade perfumes." [6]
PAPER MAKING: "The stems contain 43 - 48% cellulose and are useful in making paper." [5]
BUTTERFLIES: The flowers attract butterflies. 

NATIVE TO: Tropical Asia. "India, Himalaya to Java." [1] Plants For a Future simply lists India. [2]
HABITAT: In the wild: "Moist places along streams and on forest edges." [3]
DESCRIPTION: An erect herbaceous perennial. Typically to 6' tall. They "may grow to 10’ tall in its native habitat." [1] Fast rate of growth. [2]
- LEAVES: Large, lance-shaped. Up to 24" long by 5" wide. [2]
- FLOWERS: Bright white, very fragrant, hermaphroditic flowers. In "dense, elliptic racemes, 4-8" long." [1] Individual flowers resemble white butterflies. They bloom from "late summer to early fall." [1] Plants For a Future lists the bloom time as late spring through early fall. [2] 
Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer, Mid fall.
- RHIZOMES: They resemble thick true ginger rhizomes.
CULTURE:
- HARDINESS: USDA zones 8 to 10. [1] Zones 8 to 11. [2] It "Likes hot and humid summers." [1]
- IN COOLER AREAS: "Store [autumn-lifted rhizomes] for winter in slightly moist vermiculite or peat in a cool, dry location" and then replant them "in the ground in spring after last frost date." [1] 
- LIGHT: Full sun to part shade. [1] "It cannot grow in [full] shade." [3]
- SOIL: Well drained. [1] It "likes consistently moist soils." [2] Fine in light sandy, medium loam, or heavy clay soils.
- pH: [2] Tolerates neutral to acidic soils. [2]
- WATER: They do not like to be dry.  "It prefers moist or wet soil." [3] Placed in evenly wet, or even at the edge of a pond or creek, they will thrive. Not drought tolerant.
- USES: Along borders, in containers.
ETMYMOLOGY: The "genus name [Hedychium] comes from the Greek words "hedys" meaning sweet, and "chion" meaning snow." [1] The The "specific epithet [coronarium] means pertaining to garlands." [1]