Curcuma ungmensis

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About Curcuma ungmensis:

It belongs to the genus Curcuma (the ginger family Zingiberaceae).
It has been given the name Curcuma ungmensis after Ungma, the village in Mokokchung district where it was found.
Botanically it is a rhizomatous herb. The rhizome (subterranean stem) part is branched and found deeply buried in the soil. The species could be ideal for gardens.
It can be introduced in gardens as an ornamental plant for ground cover after proper domestication,
Flowering occurs during the rainy season from August to October. The flowers open in the morning and last a single day.
Threats: It faces “severe threat” from a variety of sources, including road development, building construction and natural calamities.
The family Zingiberaceae has 21 genera and about 200 taxa in India.
Curcuma is one of the most important and largest genera of this plant family, the best known being turmeric (Curcuma longa), black turmeric (Curcumacaesia) and mango ginger (Curcuma amada).
Curcuma is widely distributed in south and southeast Asia and south China. A few species are also found in northern Australia and the south Pacific.
In India, the genus is represented by about 40 species, found mainly in northeast and southern States and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Q1: What are Rhizome plants?

These are horizontal underground plant stems capable of producing the shoot and root systems of a new plant. Rhizomes are used to store starches and proteins and enable plants to perennate (survive an annual unfavourable season) underground.

Source: Researchers discover new species of genus Curcuma in Nagaland