Caulokaempferia sikkimensis

Caulokaempferia sikkimensis, the Orchid Ginger, is a rare and unusual member of the Zingiberaceae with medium-sized bright-green paddle-shaped foliage and an extremely beautiful white and pink flower that arises directly from the soil. This flower is tube-like with the upper petals white with the lower petals that form the tube being a pale pink. Like most Gingers, Caulokaempferia sikkimensis flowers late in the season in the UK, usually not appearing until September or even October before the first frosts start to cut back the leaves. The flower is relatively small and its diminutive size and characteristic habit of arising directly from the soil means that it is easily missed, hidden amongst the tall upright foliage. The leaves themselves are very bright almost lime-green in colour, noticeably brighter than any Hedychium or Cautleya foliage.

A fascinating and very rewarding species that is not especially hard to grow, Caulokaempferia sikkimensis deserves to be more widely cultivated. It requires a warm sheltered south-facing aspect and a fertile humus-rich soil that is also well-drained in the winter. The best ways of achieving this are to raise the surface of the bed above the surounding area and to sit the rhizome in a nest of sharp sand when you plant it. Mulch with a thick cover of bark during the winter months. It can also be grown in a container and kept under glass and fleece in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. Keep dry during the winter months. Its relatively modest size compared to the taller more vigourously growing Hedychiums make Caulokaempferia sikkimensis a good choice for container growing and its exotic foliage is reward enough even it didn't have a curiously beautiful flower.