Ginger Characteristics
The following are the various characteristics of the ginger
plant, including:
Root
The root system of ginger plants is a single root that will
grow and develop as the plant ages, which will then form rhizomes and shoots
that can grow into new plants. The shoots will grow at the top of the rhizome,
while the roots will grow at the bottom of the rhizome.
stem
Basically, the definition of ginger stems is a pseudo-stem
that can reach a height of 30 to 100 cm. It is composed of sheaths and leaf
sheaths that cover each other so that it looks like a stem that grows upright,
flat round, not branched.
The outer part of the ginger stem is waxy and shiny, juicy,
pale green in color, and the base is reddish. The part of the stem contained in
the soil is fleshy, pithy, knotty, and branched.
rhizome
The rhizome of the ginger plant is the result of a
modification of the regular stem. The outer part of the rhizome is protected by
leaves that are shaped like thin circular scales. Ginger rhizomes usually only
branch in a vertical plane, so that they are flat on the sides and stand
upright on the ground.
They have a main axis, with at least one side axis to the
left and right, with this side axis forming two more side axes, etc. Only a few
side axes develop shoots above ground level.
Ginger rhizome has economic value that is used for various
purposes, such as being used as spices, cooking spices, raw materials in
various traditional medicinal plants, food, beverages, and even perfumes.
Leaf
The ginger plant has pinnate leaves that are 15-23 mm long
and 8-15 mm wide. The ginger leaf stalk is hairy.
Flower
The ginger plant has the meaning of flowers located in the
axils of the protective leaves. Flower shapes vary, some are long, oval, oval,
pointed, or blunt. The size of the flower is about 2-2.5 cm long and 1-1.5 cm
wide. Yellowish green flower color.
Rugayah (1994) suggested that the ginger flower is formed
directly from the rhizome, arranged in a series of cylindrical grains. Each
flower is protected by a protective leaf. Ginger is a hermaphrodite
(multisexual) plant, meaning that in each flower there are two anthers, two
anthers, and one fruit candidate.
Growth and development
The first ginger shoots appear 10-15 days after planting the
rhizome and new shoots appear continuously until about 4 weeks months after
planting. Each shoot has about 8-12 leaves.