ALPINIA caerulea

A perennial clumping herb with soft thick stems arising from an underground rhizome. Large bright green leaves are up to 400 mm long. White flowers are followed by round blue fruits to 15mm in spikes on the ends of the stems.

The pith inside the fruit has a pleasant, refreshing, lemony taste. Young root tips are edible but do not have the strong ginger flavour of the exotic plant.
The leaves were also used by aborigines to lay under meat cooked in an earth oven.

Endemic to New South Wales and Queensland.
Prefers humus-rich damp soils in a protected shady position. Drought and frost tender.

Grow notes:

Although seed can be sown most of the year in many parts of Australia seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn in temperate climates, avoiding the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 21-23°C

1. Soak the seed overnight in water.
2. Sow seed on a porous seed-raising mix and cover to a depth of 2-3mm
3. Place in a warm shaded or semi-shaded position to avoid dying out.
4. The growing medium should be well-draining but should remain damp between watering. Keep moist but not too wet as the seed may rot. Do not let the growing mix completely dry out. 
5. Germination should occur in 10-28 days depending on the temperature and conditions.

General note: Seeds of many natives are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they are discarded.

Please Note: Although many of the traditional Bush Food and Medicine plants are now commercially produced in various forms we recommend you re-search these before using them as any form of food or medicines. Some parts of the plant may not be edible or some may need to be prepared before they are safe to eat or use in any way. We do our best to describe their traditional & modern uses. It is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure they are fit for their intended use