{{Short description|Species of herbaceous perennial plant}} {{speciesbox |image = Etlingera elatior2.jpg |status=DD |status_system=IUCN3.1 |status_ref=<ref>{{cite iucn|author1=Poulsen, A.D.|author2=Olander, S.B.|year=2019|title=''Etlingera elatior''|name-list-style=amp|article-number=e.T117234456A124279013|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T117234456A124279013.en|access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref> |genus = Etlingera |species = elatior |authority = (Jack) R.M.Sm. |synonyms = * ''Alpinia acrostachya'' Steud. * ''Alpinia elatior'' Jack * ''Alpinia magnifica'' Roscoe * ''Alpinia speciosa'' (Blume) D.Dietr. * ''Amomum tridentatum'' (Kuntze) K.Schum. * ''Bojeria magnifica'' (Roscoe) Raf. * ''Cardamomum magnificum'' (Roscoe) Kuntze * ''Cardamomum tridentatum'' Kuntze * ''Diracodes javanica'' Blume * ''Elettaria speciosa'' Blume * ''Etlingera elatior'' var. ''pileng'' Ongsakul & C.K.Lim * ''Hornstedtia imperialis'' (Lindl.) Ridl. * ''Nicolaia elatior'' (Jack) Horan.<ref name=Riffle>{{cite book |last=Riffle |first=Robert Lee |year= 1998 |title=The tropical look: an encyclopedia of dramatic landscape plants |publisher=Timber Press |page=167 |isbn=978-0-88192-422-0}}</ref> * ''Nicolaia imperialis'' Horan. * ''Nicolaia intermedia'' Valeton * ''Nicolaia magnifica'' (Roscoe) K.Schum. ex Valeton * ''Nicolaia speciosa'' (Blume) Horan. * ''Phaeomeria magnifica'' (Roscoe) K.Schum.<ref name=Riffle /> * ''Phaeomeria speciosa'' (Blume) Koord. | synonyms_ref= <ref name="POWO">{{Cite web|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:942355-1 |title=''Etlingera elatior'' L. |date=2023 |website=Plant of the World Online |publisher= Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref> }}

'''''Etlingera elatior''''' (also known as '''torch ginger''', among other names) is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the family Zingiberaceae, native to the Malay Peninsular, the islands of Indonesia and New Guinea of the Malesia bioregion.<ref name="POWO" />

The showy pink flowers are used in decorative arrangements and are an important ingredient in food across Southeast Asia.

== Names == ''E. elatior'' is also known as "torch ginger", "ginger flower", "red ginger lily", "torchflower", "torch lily", "wild ginger", "Indonesian tall ginger" and "porcelain rose".<ref name="POWO"/>

{{citation needed span|date=June 2024|In other languages, it is known as: "Philippine wax flower"; {{langx|su|honje}}; {{langx|jv|combrang}}; {{langx|id|kecombrang}} or {{lang|id|cekala}} (Sumatra); {{langx|zsm|bunga kantan}}; {{langx|si|ගොඩ ඕලු}} ({{translit|si|goda olu}}), {{lang|si|ගොඩ නෙලුම්}} ({{translit|si|goda nelum}}), or {{lang|si|සිද්ධාර්ථ}} ({{translit|si|siddartha}}); {{lang-zh|火炬姜}} ({{zh-sp|p=huǒjù jiāng}}); {{langx|es|boca de dragón}}; {{langx|fr|rose de porcelaine}}; {{langx|th|ดาหลา}} ({{translit|th|dala}}).}}

== Description == The species grows as a pseudostem from a rhizome; it takes about 18–22 days for the first leaf to grow from the rhizome. The leafy shoot lasts for about 70 days and may reach a height of 3–6 metres.<ref name="RHSD">{{cite book | last=Huxley | first=Anthony | title=Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening | publisher=Macmillan Press | publication-place=London : New York | date=1992 | isbn=1-56159-001-0 |volume=2 | page=217}}</ref><ref name="SM">{{cite journal |last1=Choon |first1=S.Y. |last2=Ding |first2=P. |year=2016 |title=Growth Stages of Torch Ginger (''Etlingera elatior'') Plant |url=https://www.ukm.my/jsm/english_journals/vol45num4_2016/contentsVol45num4_2016.html |journal=Sains Malaysiana |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=507–515 |access-date=4 January 2023}}</ref> Its leaves are leathery and grow around {{cvt|85|cm|0}} long and {{cvt|18|cm|0}} broad with a central groove.<ref name="RHSD"/> The fibers of ''Etlingera elatior'' are strong.<ref name="fiber">{{cite journal |last1=Quinaya |first1=D.C.P. |last2=d’Almeida |first2=J.R.M. |title=Possibility of Exploring and Applying Wastes from Some Ornamental Plants (Elatior etlingera; Costus comosus; Heliconia bihai) as Sources of Natural Cellulosic Fibers |journal=Journal of Natural Fibers |date=2019 |volume=17 |issue=10 |pages=1488–1496 |doi=10.1080/15440478.2019.1581118}}</ref>

=== Flower === The capitate inflorescence appears from the shoot after 30 days, reaching a height of 2.5&nbsp;m it swells gradually and turns pink before blooming after more than 50 days. The inflorescence is made of 20–25 layers of floral bracts and 3-4 layers of involuceral bracts at full bloom; it may have 90-120 true flowers inside.<ref name="SM"/> The capitulum can reach a diameter of 25&nbsp;cm.<ref>{{cite book | last= Kuck | first= Loraine | last2= Tongg | first2= Richard | date= 1960 | title= Hawaiian Flowers and Flowering Trees |location= Rutland, Vermont | publisher= Charles E. Tuttle Co. | page= 139 }}</ref>

=== Chemistry === From the leaves of ''E. elatior'', three caffeoylquinic acids, including chlorogenic acid (CGA), as well as three flavonoids quercitrin, isoquercitrin and catechin, have been isolated.<ref name="chan2009">Chan, E.W.C. (2009). "Bioactivities and chemical constituents of leaves of some ''Etlingera'' species (Zingiberaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia". Ph.D. thesis, Monash University, 305 p., http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/149589 {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121203094524/http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/149589 |date=2012-12-03 }}</ref> Content of CGA was significantly higher than flowers of ''Lonicera japonica'' (Japanese honeysuckle), the commercial source.<ref name="chan2009a">{{cite journal |last1=Chan |first1=E.W.C. |last2=Lim |year=2009 |first2=Y.Y. |last3=Ling |first3=S.K. |last4=Tan |first4=S.P. |last5=Lim |first5=K.K. |last6=Khoo |first6=M.G.H. |title=Caffeoylquinic acids from leaves of ''Etlingera'' species (Zingiberaceae) |journal=LWT - Food Science and Technology |volume=42 |issue=5 |pages= 1026–1030 |doi=10.1016/j.lwt.2009.01.003|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

A protocol for producing a standardized herbal extract of CGA from leaves of ''E.&nbsp;elatior'' (40%) has been developed, compared to commercial CGA extracts from honeysuckle flowers (25%).<ref name="chan2009" />

=== Similar species === * ''Alpinia galanga''<ref name="atip">{{cite journal |last1=Chan |first1=E.W.C. |last2=Lim |first2=Y.Y. |last3=Wong |first3=L.F. |last4=Lianto |first4=F.S. |last5=Wong |first5=S.K. |last6=Lim |first6=K.K. |last7=Joe |first7=C.E. |last8=Lim |first8=T.Y. |display-authors=etal |year=2008 |title=Antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibition properties of leaves and rhizomes of ginger species |journal=Food Chemistry |volume=109 |issue=3 |pages=477–483 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.02.016}}</ref> * ''Curcuma longa''<ref name="eddm">{{cite journal |last1=Chan |first1=E.W.C. |last2=Lim |first2=Y |last3=Wong |first3=S |last4=Lim |first4=K |last5=Tan |first5=S |last6=Lianto |first6=F |last7=Yong |first7=M |display-authors=etal |year=2009 |title=Effects of different drying methods on the antioxidant properties of leaves and tea of ginger species |journal=Food Chemistry |volume=113 |issue=1 |pages=166–172 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.07.090}}</ref> * ''Etlingera fulgens''<ref name="atip" /> * ''Etlingera maingayi''<ref name="atip" /> * ''Kaempferia galanga''<ref name="atip" /><ref name="eddm" />

== Uses == The flower buds are edible.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-04-18 |title=Etlingera elatior - Torch Ginger, Torch-ginger, Philippine Waxflower |url=https://wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/971/etlingera-elatior-torch-ginger/ |access-date=2025-07-09 |website=Hawaiian Plants and Tropical Flowers |language=en-US}}</ref> In North Sumatra (especially among the Karo people), the flower buds are used in a stewed fish dish called ''Arsik ikan mas'' (Andaliman-spiced carp).{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} In Bali, people use the white part of the bottom part of the trunk for cooking chilli sauce called "Sambal Bongkot", and use the flower buds to make chilli sauce called "Sambal Kecicang".

In Thailand, it is eaten in a kind of Thai salad preparation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-16 |title='ดาหลา' มาหาความอร่อย |url=https://www.komchadluek.net/kom-lifestyle/travel/211656 |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=คมชัดลึกออนไลน์ |language=th}}</ref> In Malaysia, the flower is an essential ingredient in cooking the fish broth for a kind of spicy sour noodle soup called "asam laksa" (also known as "''Penang laksa''"),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Family Recipe for Asam Laksa|url=http://blog.seasonwithspice.com/2011/09/penang-asam-laksa-recipe.html|access-date=30 May 2021}}</ref> in the preparation of a kind of salad called kerabu and many other Malay dishes.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tan|first=Florence|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1132374857|title=Florence Tan's Timeless Peranakan Recipes|date=2018|publisher=Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Ltd|isbn=978-981-4794-03-9|oclc=1132374857}}</ref> The fruit is also used in Indonesian cooking.<ref>{{cite web |title=Etlingera elatior (torch ginger) |url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/109802 |website=cabi.org |access-date=19 January 2021 |ref=Etlingera elatior (torch ginger)}}</ref>

In Karo, it is known as ''asam cekala'' (''asam'' meaning 'sour'), and the flower buds, but more importantly the ripe seed pods, which are packed with small black seeds, are an essential ingredient of the Karo version of ''sayur asam'', and are particularly suited to cooking fresh fish. In Sundanese, it is known as ''Honje''.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

== Gallery == {{Gallery |title=''Etlingera elatior'' |footer= |width=150 |File:Etlingera elatior Torch Ginger, Luang Phabang トーチジンジャー, ルアンパバーン DSCF6454.JPG|Luang Prabang, Laos |File:Etlingera elatior-0001 06.jpg| |File:Etlingera elatior-0001 01.jpg| |File:Etlingera elatior-0001 08.jpg| |Image:Nicolaia elatior 3.JPG| |Image:Nicolaia elatior 2.JPG| |Image:Nicolaia elatior 1.JPG| |Image:Etlingera elatior (Scott Zona) 001.jpg| |Image:Colpfl07a.jpg| |Image:Starr 030807-0081 Phaeomeria magnifica.jpg| |Image:Starr 030807-0078 Phaeomeria magnifica.jpg| |File:Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M.Sm.jpg|''Etlingera elatior'' (Jack) R.M.Sm. (Maui)| |File:Etlingera elatior (Maui).jpg|Hawaii, Maui| |File:Etlingera elatior-1.jpg|Flower| }} *

== See also == *Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==

* {{Commons-inline|italic=on}} {{Wikispecies}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q3442435}}

elatior Category:Taxa named by Rosemary Margaret Smith Category:Austronesian agriculture Category:Taxa named by William Jack (botanist)