Alpinia purpurata, red ginger, also called ostrich plume and pink cone ginger, are native Malaysian plants with showy flowers on long brightly colored red bracts. They look like the bloom, but the true flower is the small white flower on top. It has cultivars called Jungle King and Jungle Queen. Red Ginger grows in Hawaii, Trinidad, Grenada, St. Lucia, Panama, Dominica, St. Vincent, Martinique, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Suriname (where its Dutch name is 'bokkepoot', billy-goat's foot), and many Central American nations, including Belize. It is also found in Samoa, where it is the national flower, and is locally called "teuila." Red ginger can also be grown in South Florida since, in general, the region does not fall below freezing temperatures. It prefers partial shade and moist humid conditions, although it can tolerate full sun in some climates. It tends to like to be well watered and not left to dry out. Red ginger can also be grown as a houseplant and its cut flowers can be used in arrangements. Red ginger tends to spread.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Alpinia purpurata across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Alpinia purpurata has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens4
Marker genes3
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections4
Countries1
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★matK4★rbcL3★ITS3
plant barcodefungal barcode
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type5 633 records
Wild obs. + sensor5 217
Museum / vouchered401
Cultivated / captive7
Other8
Origin
Introduced3
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO11 212 km²
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy85% within 1 km
≤100 m 2 954≤1 km 690≤10 km 354>10 km 288
4 286 georeferenced · 931 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor5 217
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy66% within 1 km
≤100 m 29≤1 km 34≤10 km 18>10 km 15
96 georeferenced · 305 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence401
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Coordinate accuracy100% within 1 km
≤100 m 1
1 georeferenced · 6 without coordinates
Open the mapnot free-living7
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions45 of 93 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Saint Louis, US
36
Edinburgh, GB
29
Durango, MX
18
Honolulu, US
12
National Biodiversity Institute, Costa Ricalocation not on record
12
Bronx, US
11
Universidad del Quindío (UniQuindío)location not on record
11
UEMAlocation not on record
9
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (MNCR)location not on record
8
BISHlocation not on record
8
Mérida, MX
7
Xiamen, CN
7
Denver, US
7
Universidad de Caldas (UCaldas)location not on record
7
TNMlocation not on record
7
Canberra, AU
6
UEPAlocation not on record
6
Smithfield, AU
5
Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabascolocation not on record
5
Auckland, NZ
5
Chaguaramas, TT
4
Puerto Ayora, EC
4
Antiguo Cuscatlán, SV
4
Ciudad de México, MX
4
Masindi, UG
4
Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldilocation not on record
3
Brisbane, AU
3
Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)location not on record
3
Kew, GB
3
UFRPElocation not on record
3
Guatemala, GT
3
Riverside, US
3
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
3
Taipei, TW
3
Salvador, BR
3
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)location not on record
3
Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS)location not on record
2
Instituto para la Investigación y la Preservación del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural del Valle del Cauca - INCIVAlocation not on record
2
South Kensington, GB
2
Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record
2
CNF-UFHBlocation not on record
2
Ilhéus, BR
2
Jardín Botánico de Cartagena "Guillermo Piñeres" (JBC)location not on record
2
Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA)location not on record
2
Mexico City, MX
2
Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas - SINCHIlocation not on record
2
Provincia di Livornolocation not on record
2
Tapachula, MX
2
Université de Bordeauxlocation not on record
2
UFBAlocation not on record
2
Station d'Ecologie de Lamtolocation not on record
2
UEMlocation not on record
1
OTSlocation not on record
1
St. Augustine, TT
1
Cenargenlocation not on record
1
Angwin, US
1
St. Paul, US
1
Durham, US
1
John T. Waterhouse Herbariumlocation not on record
1
UnBlocation not on record
1
Departamento de Sistematica e Ecologialocation not on record
1
Tampa, US
1
USP-IBlocation not on record
1
Laboratorio de Ictiologialocation not on record
1
Berlin, DE
1
Vancouver, CA
1
HAWlocation not on record
1
Millersville, US
1
James F. Matthews Center for Biodiversity Studieslocation not on record
1
HerbUVALlocation not on record
1
Cruz das Almas, BR
1
Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS)location not on record
1
Universidad de la Amazonia (UniAmazonia)location not on record
1
Beijing, CN
1
Universidad de La Salle (La Salle)location not on record
1
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, MX
1
Durban, ZA
1
Miami, US
1
León, NI
1
Universidad de Guayaquillocation not on record
1
Campo Mourão, BR
1
UFPElocation not on record
1
JBRJlocation not on record
1
Brasília, BR
1
Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoirelocation not on record
1
Instituto do Meio Ambientelocation not on record
1
Corporación Autónoma Regional Para la Defensa de la Meseta de Bucaramanga (CDMB)location not on record
1
HUAlocation not on record
1
Aarhus, DK
1
Maringá, BR
1
Paris, FR
1
UTFPR-CPlocation not on record
1
Gump Stationlocation not on record
1
93 institutions · 341 of 401 vouchered records shown · 60 without an institution code
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
09Environmental DNA4 detections
Where the DNA of Alpinia purpurata was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found4
Studies independent surveys1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 4 detections have coordinates
Open the map0 countries0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.