Curcuma ungmensis

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