Globba schomburgkii (Dancing Girl Ginger) is a plant in the Ginger family that is native to tropical regions of India, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. Dancing Girl Ginger is fast growing, produces pretty yellow flowers and is widely added to recipes across south Asia. The plant enjoys moist, humid and warm climates but successfully regrows after dying off in colder winters.
Suitable for Sub-Tropical and Tropical climates but Temperate regions are fine if grown in containers.
During the winter months, Dancing Girl Gingers go dormant and appear to die off. But they leave bulbils in the ground which allows them to respawn as the temperatures warm up in Spring. As a rough guide, Dancing Girl Gingers will often start dormancy when temperatures begin to dip below 18°C / 65°F.
Growth
Globba schomburgkii is a tropical rhizomatous plant that grows to a short height of 60-100 cm (2-3 feet). Dancing Girl Ginger is extremely frost tender and is often grown indoors or in greenhouses in colder climates. Where temperatures fall below 18°C / 65°F the plant turns dormant, drop bulbils on the ground and wait until the warm weather returns. In tropical regions, Dancing Girl Gingers can continuously bloom as long as the soil doesn’t dry out.
Leaves are broadleaf, elliptic to lance and reach lengths to 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) and attached to long stems that stretch to 50 cm long (2 feet, or most of the plants size). The yellow flowers occur in late Summer and bloom through to Autumn (depending on how warm the climate is). Flowers are pendulous and their dancing style is how the plant gets its name. The bulbs that are dropped during colder periods are globose or ovoid and just 4mm in diameter.
FAMILY:
Zingiberaceae
CLIMATE:
Warm Temperate, Sub-Tropical, Tropical
TEMPERATURE RANGE:
15°C to 40°C / 59 to 104°F
SOIL TYPE:
Moist well draining soil types.
LOCATION:
Fun sun or Part Shade.
HEIGHT:
60-100 cm (2-3 feet)
WIDTH:
30-50 cm (1-2 feet)
pH:
6.5-7.5
GROWTH TYPE:
Perennial / Deciduous
WATER REQUIREMENTS:
Medium
POLLINATION:
Bees
MATURITY:
12-18 months
GERMINATION RATES:
65-75%
GERMINATION TIME:
2-3 weeks
SEEDS PER GRAM:
Coming Soon
MEDICINAL QUALITIES:
No
WEED POTENTIAL:
No
EDIBLE:
Yes.
SEED STORAGE & VIABILITY:
Cold Storage at 4°C (Fridge). 18 months.
FACTS ABOUT GLOBBA SCHOMBURGKII (Dancing Girl Ginger)
In some regions of China, it is believed that the yellow flowers can ward off evil spirits.
