Alpinia Zerumbet
Syn. Costus zerumbet, Alpinia nutans, Alpinia speciosa, Langas speciosa, Catimbium speciosum, Zerumbet speciosum

French names:  A tous maux, guérit tout, fleur coquillage, larmes de la vierge, gingembre coquille, longose, fleur du paradis, fleur de mon âme, grande dégonflée, lavande, lavande blanche, , lavande rouge, dégonflé, tous maux
Creole names:  Atoumo, dégonflé, gran dégonflé, lavann, lavann blan
English names: Shell plant, porcelain lily, pink porcelain lily, jockey club, shell ginger, shell flower
Spanish names: Burriquito, boca de dragón, palo santo, azucena de porcelana, colonia, dragón, pimienta angola

Other: Getto

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FAMILY

ZINGIBERACEAE

 

ETYMOLOGY

Alpinia comes from the name of the 16th century Italian botanist, Prospero Alpino. Zerumbet means, looks like ginger.

The pearly appearance of the flowers has earned it its name of shell flower and other similar names. Its therapeutic virtues are found in its name for all ailments or deflated for its traditional use against intestinal gas.

 

ORIGIN

Asia.

 

HABITAT

Cultivated.

 

DESCRIPTION

Atoumo is an important plant in the Creole pharmacopoeia and it entered the French pharmacopoeia in 2013.
All parts of the plant are edible and medicinal.  

Large aromatic rhizomatous herb up to 3m high.

It has long shiny green ornamental leaves measuring up to 70cm long.

The conspicuous, fragrant flowers are in pendulous spikes. They have a pearly white calyx with a red top from which emerges a pink corolla with a developed yellow petal with red bands. They are carried by two in hanging clusters of 40cm.

The fruit is dehiscent, orange and hollow, the size of a grape. It contains small black seeds wrapped in a white coating.

Flowering takes place all year round in the tropics, but mainly in summer in a temperate climate, starting one year after planting.

There is a cultivar with dark green foliage striped with pale yellow, Alpinia zerumbet variegata .

 

NEEDS

Abundant watering except in winter in temperate climates.

Add regular fertilizer or compost.

Any type of soil , preferably fertile, fresh and draining.

Exposure: partial shade.

Hardiness: -6°C.

 

MULTIPLICATION

Hot sowing (20°C) and separation of rhizomes .

The most used method is the separation of rhizomes because the seeds are extremely rare.

Cut the rhizomes with a clean, disinfected knife or secateurs to obtain plants with a stem and at least one sucker. Soak them in water to facilitate cleaning. Cut the leaves and roots. Remove all the soil and check if the rhizomes are healthy (remove, if necessary, the affected parts). If you wish, you can disinfect it. Leave to dry for a few days to promote healing.

Prepare a pot with a 50/50 mix of soil and compost (or potting soil if you can't get compost). You can add a little perlite and mycorrhizae and put pebbles at the bottom if you put it in a cup.

Plant the rhizome (you can praline it beforehand), start green at the top, do not cut the stem, it is a reserve for the regrowth of the plant. Do not overwater at first to avoid rot. Do not fertilize until the plant has developed.

Place your pots in a bright place with an ambient temperature of 15°C minimum with good humidity.

 

CULTURE AND MAINTENANCE

The culture is easy from a rhizome, this plant will grow in partial shade, even on poor but humid soil and sheltered from the wind.

Being quite water-intensive, a supply of nutrients such as manure or well-decomposed compost will, of course, guarantee vigorous growth and abundant flowering.

Its foliage is an important decorative element both in the garden and in a greenhouse, in the ground or in a jar of sufficient size (minimum 40cm deep with pebbles at the bottom) for it to develop its powerful rhizomes.

Planting space , 2m. Density, 2000 plants per Ha.

Possibilities of culture in open ground in the south of France.

Repot or divide when the rhizomes have filled the pot or become too overgrown, preferably in the spring.

Cut off faded leaves and flowers only when they are dry.

Water abundantly in the dry season and in summer.

In winter, in temperate countries, cover the plant with a winter veil, mulch or bring it in if it is in a pot. The rhizome can also be kept indoors in vermiculite.

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PARASITES AND DISEASES

The Atoumo does not fear any disease but it is subject to nematodes and mealybugs (which often lead to the development of sooty mold).

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USES
 

MEDICINAL USE

Conditions: Flu syndrome.

Parts used: Leaves.

Instructions for use: Decoction, 30g/L.

Dosage:

Drink 3 times a day (Source: TRAMIL ).

Hazards: None.

Recommendations :

Any medicinal preparation must be kept cold and used within 24 hours.

Use against influenza-like illness is classified REC, if the state does not improve within 7 days, consult a doctor.

Prohibited for pregnant or breastfeeding women and for children under 12 years old.

 

ORNAMENTAL USE

Cultivated for ornament in hedges or as an isolated subject.

 

FOOD USE

- The flowers, leaves and rhizomes of à-tous-mals have an inimitable flavor combining rose, ginger and camphor. 
- The plant can be used as an aromatic in sweet or savory dishes. 
- The rhizome is often used in India to flavor soups and it can advantageously replace ginger in all dishes. 
- The leaves can be used to make papillotes that soak up their delicate flavor. 
- In Japan, the leaves flavor pasta and are used to wrap sticky rice before cooking. 
- Young shoots can be cooked as a vegetable. 
- The flower syrup is absolutely surprising.

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OTHER USES

Cosmetics (skin and hair).

 

ANECDOTES

This plant is cultivated in Okinawa in Japan (the island of the centenarians), they call it the "Getto". It is said to have anti-aging properties and is the main ingredient in the recipe for a locally made elixir of youth.

 

RECIPE

Vanilla cream with all ills (6 people)

Ingredients :

• 1/2L of milk - 1 bunch of Atoumo flowers

• 1 Vanilla Bean - 3 tablespoons of sugar

• 4 eggs

Preperation :

- Preheat the oven to 180°C (Thermostat 6).

- Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape the inside with a knife.

- Remove the milk from the heat and add the seeds, the vanilla pod and the previously cleaned Atoumo flowers. Put a lid on and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

- In a bowl, put a whole egg, 3 yolks and the sugar. mix with a whisk to obtain a frothy mixture.

- Stirring constantly, gradually add the filtered milk.

- Butter 6 ramekins, spread the cream and place them on the baking sheet. Add water to the plate until halfway up.

- Cook in a bain-marie for 30 minutes.

- Serve warm or cold.

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SOURCES

- Illustrated flora of the phanerogams of Guadeloupe & Martinique - Jacques Fournet - Ed Gondwana, CIRAD -  T2 P2027

- The great Larousse of 15,000 garden plants & flowers - Ed. Larousse - P97

- Gourmet Creole plants - Jean-Louis Longuefosse - Ed. Orphie - P39

- Medicinal plants of the tropics - Michel Galtier & André Exbrayat - Ed. Exbrayat - T1 P20

- Caribbean medicinal plants - Jean-Louis Longuefosse - Ed. Orphie - T1 P36

- Caribbean Plant Pharmacopoeia - TRAMIL 3rd updated and expanded edition - P47

- My Creole health garden - Jean-louis Longuefosse - Ed. Orphie - P188

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