Yellow ginger
Yellow ginger flower close-up
© Queensland Government
Yellow ginger flowers
© Queensland Government
Yellow ginger leaves
© Queensland Government
Yellow ginger pot
© Queensland Government
Native to China, India and Nepal, yellow ginger is a perennial plant with large leaves and fragrant yellow flowers. Yellow ginger can out-compete native plants and is a major problem in a number of countries, including New Zealand and Hawaii.
Yellow ginger's popularity as a garden plant increases the risk of it spreading in Queensland.
You must manage the impacts of Yellow ginger on your land.
You must not give away, sell or release Yellow ginger into the environment.
Scientific name
Hedychium flavescens
Other names
- Cream garland lily, cream ginger, cream ginger lily, wild ginger, yellow ginger lily
Similar species
Description
- Perennial plant 1-2m tall.
- Leaves are 20-50cm long and 4-10cm wide.
- Flowers are yellow or yellow-white, fragrant, on oblong spikes 15-20cm long.
Habitat
- Prefers rainforests, moist forests and areas along watercourses.
Distribution
- Not yet reported as naturalised in Queensland.
Life cycle
- Not known whether it sets viable seed in Queensland; probably spreads here from broken rhizomes (underground stems).
- New stems are produced annually.
Impacts
Environmental
- Forms dense stands.
- Suppresses or replaces native plants.
How it is spread
- Spread by people dumping unwanted plants.
Prevention
Control
Physical control
- Dig out entire plant, including rhizomes (underground stems).
Herbicide control
- For more information on herbicide control of gingers, visit the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority website.
Biological control
- No known biological control agents.
Legal requirements
- Yellow ginger is a category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
- You must take all reasonable and practical measures to minimise the biosecurity risks associated with dealing with yellow ginger under your control. This is called a general biosecurity obligation (GBO).
- It must not be given away, sold, or released into the environment. Penalties may apply.
- At a local level, each local government must have a biosecurity plan that covers invasive plants in its area. This plan may include actions to be taken on Yellow ginger. Some of these actions may be required under local laws. Contact your local government for more information.