Cornukaempferia aurantifolia

Another low growing ginger from NE Thailand with strkingly patterned dark leaves and an unusual bright yellow flower, which like many of its relatives, last only 1 day. This so called peacock ginger needs a shadier growing area to bring out the colour of the leaves and is less tolerant of dryness than other Kaempferias.

Since the late 1990s, only 2 species from this genus were known - C. aurantiflora and C.longipetiolata. In 2007, a third species, C. larsenii was found in the highland of Loei, which has plain green leaves and mostly red flowers. Only C. aurantifolia has been mass propagated for the horticulture trade, the other species are quite rare.