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Hedychium stenopetalum C. Loddiges, Bot. Cab. 20: t. 1902 (1833).
Accepted name Hedychium stenopetalum C. Loddiges, Bot. Cab. 20: t. 1902 (1833).
Synonyms Distribution Description References Comments Hedychium stenopetalum is a robust Hedychium with a large natural range from north-eastern India to Guangxi province in China and down into northern Vietnam and Laos. This is potentially one of the tallest of all Hedychium species growing anything up to 3 to 4m tall in the wild with big, bold leaves. Its flowers are white with a faint greenish-yellow tint to the base of the labellum and have prominent white or off-white stamens. From 3 to 5 flowers are produced per bract but these have rather little scent. This is another of those Hedychium that are probably hardy enough to grow outside in the UK but extremely unlikely to flower. It is a plant only for the Hedychium enthusiast with a very tall greenhouse or conservatory.
We have grown or am growing four accessions that I think are Hedychium stenopetalum two of which are worth commenting on.
1. Plants raised from Chinese seed (from Nature Products) labelled Hedychium forrestii although the photographs accompanying the seed look more like Hedychium stenopetalum. I have not yet seen this material flower.
2. A Crûg Farm collection, BSWJ 7155 collected from Lock-Taw in northern Thailand and introduced as Hedychium aff. gardnerianum. Although I have not yet seen it flower my material of BSWJ 7155 is definitely not Hedychium gardnerianum but I think it is Hedychium stenopetalum.