{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{For|the Inuyasha character|Myoga (character)}} {{Redirect|Japanese ginger|the ginger used in Japanese cuisine|Pickled ginger (disambiguation){{!}}Pickled ginger}} {{speciesbox |name = Myōga |image = ミョウガ(茗荷)(Zingiber mioga)-花 (5852495693).jpg |genus = Zingiber |species = mioga |authority = (Thunb.) Roscoe |synonyms_ref = <ref name="cloves"/> |synonyms = *''Amomum mioga'' <small>Thunb.</small> *''Zingiber mijooka'' <small>Siebold, spelling variation</small> *''Zingiber sjooka'' <small>Siebold</small> *''Zingiber mioga'' var. ''variegatum'' <small>Makino</small> *''Zingiber echuanense'' <small>Y.K.Yang</small> }} [[File:Leiden University Library - Seikei Zusetsu vol. 24, page 037 - 茗荷 - Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe, 1804.jpg|thumb|Ginger leaves, illustration from the Japanese agricultural encyclopedia Seikei Zusetsu (1804)]] {{nihongo|'''Myoga'''|茗荷|'''myōga'''|also '''myoga ginger'''}} or '''Japanese ginger''' is the species '''''Zingiber mioga''''' in the family Zingiberaceae. It is a deciduous herbaceous perennial native to Japan, China, and the southern part of Korea.<ref name="cloves">[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=273338 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref><ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200028463 Flora of China v 24 p 332, <big>蘘荷</big> rang he, ''Zingiber mioga'' (Thunberg) Roscoe, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 8: 348. 1807. ]</ref><ref name=Cole14>Cole TCH, Nürnberger S [https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/publications/magazines/The-Plantsman/2014-issues/december/zingiber-mioga-and-its-cultivars "Zingiber mioga and its Cultivars,"] ''The Plantsman. Royal Horticultural Society.'' December 2014, 4: 226-229.</ref> Only its edible flower buds and flavorful shoots are used in cooking.<ref>Matsuhisa, Nobu and Mark Edwards. (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=wPMvfj0W7isC&pg=PA252&dq= ''Nobu West,'' p. 252].</ref> The flower buds are finely shredded and used in Japanese cuisine as a garnish for ''miso'' soup, ''sunomono'', and dishes such as roasted eggplant. In Korean cuisine, the flower buds are skewered alternately with pieces of meat and then are pan-fried.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}
==Cultivation== A traditional crop in Japan, myoga ginger has been introduced to cultivation in Australia and New Zealand for export to the Japanese market.<ref name=Cole14/>
As a woodland plant, myoga has specific shade requirements for its growth. It is frost-tolerant to {{convert|−16|C|F|0}}, and possibly colder.<ref name=Cole14/>
Three variegated cultivars are known: 'Dancing Crane', 'Silver Arrow' and 'White Feather'. They are less cold-hardy than unvariegated plants.<ref name=Cole14/>
== Medicinal properties == Myoga has shown promise for potentially anticarcinogenic properties.<ref>Ha Won Kim ''et al.'' [http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/ars.2005.7.1621 "Suppressive Effects of Mioga Ginger and Ginger Constituents on Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species Generation, and the Expression of Inducible Pro-Inflammatory Genes in Macrophages,"] ''Antioxidants & Redox Signaling.'' November/December 2005, 7(11-12): 1621-1629; retrieved 2013-8-4.</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" heights="200" style="font-size:95%; line-height:120%"> File:Zingiber mioga.jpg|Plants File:R0016749.JPG|Fruits with red interiors and black seeds with a whitish aril File:Three-myoga-inapack-aug2-2015.jpg|Buds prepared for sale </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links == *{{Wikispecies inline|Zingiber mioga}} *{{Commons category inline|Zingiber mioga}}
{{Japanese food and drink}} {{Ginger Plant}} {{Herbs & spices}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q1196818}}
Category:Flora of China Category:Flora of Japan Category:Flora of Korea Category:Inflorescence vegetables Category:Japanese cuisine Category:Japanese vegetables Category:Stem vegetables Category:Zingiber