Butterfly Ginger

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This lovely flowering species is commonly known as Butterfly Ginger Lily, Ginger Lily or just Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium Coronarium). The white blossoms are highly fragrant and bloom from summer through to winter.

When not blooming, butterfly ginger provides attractive dark green foliage. Mixed with Pinecone Ginger and other tropical foliage plants, this species lends itself well to lush tropical looking landscapes.

This ginger is easy to propagate. Simply dig up the root, divide it into pieces about 8 inches in length and replant. Butterfly Ginger prefers part sun and moist soil but will also tolerate wet feet and makes a great water edge planting for water features or boggy areas that may have standing water for parts of the year. After a freeze this ginger may die back to the ground but it will certainly come back quickly. Butterfly Ginger spreads readily and may take some effort to control once it gets established. Never plant non-native or invasive species in natural areas so they cannot outpace our own Florida native species.

What’s in a Name?: Hedychium is composed of the Greek words hedys “sweet” and chion for “snow”. The species epithet coranarium derives from the Latin word corona or "crown". The species was first describes by German botanist Johann Gerhard König (1728-1785) who worked as a naturalist in India. Butterfly Ginger originates from the Himalayas region of India and Nepal. It is the national flower of Cuba and is known there as "Mariposa blanca" or “White Butterfly Flower".