Alpinia zerumbet
(Pers.) B.L.Burtt & R.M.Sm. · speciesAt a glance
Sources15 archives
Databases and archives Alpinia zerumbet's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation10 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility7 963 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI23 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics27 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
WikidataWikimedia Foundationstructured facts↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Alpinia zerumbet, commonly known as shell ginger, is a perennial species of ginger native to East Asia. They can grow up to 8 to tall and bear colorful funnel-shaped flowers. They are grown as ornamentals and their leaves are used in cuisine and traditional medicine. They are also sometimes known as the pink porcelain lily, variegated ginger or butterfly ginger.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology7
Life cycle & reproduction13
Diet & foraging1
Habitat & environment13
Physiology & chemistry2
Other traits3
Compounds documented for Alpinia zerumbet across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds205 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| (+)-(4R,5S,7R)-13-Hydroxynootkatone | present | NPASS | |
| (+)-1(10),4-Cadinadiene | present | LOTUS | |
| (+)-Fenchol | present | LOTUS | |
| (+)-Fenchone | present | LOTUS | |
| (+)-gamma-Eudesmol | present | LOTUS | |
| (+)-Nootkatone | present | NPASS | |
| (+)-trans-Pinocarveol | present | LOTUS | |
| (+)-Zerumin A | present | LOTUS | |
| (-)-3-Isothujone | present | LOTUS | |
| (-)-alpha-Fenchol | present | LOTUS |
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 zerumbet has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ 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.
The complete instruction manual Alpinia zerumbet carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 481×CCDB · eflora
2n 521×GoaT · Kew Plant DNA C-values Database
tetraploid1×GoaT · Kew Plant DNA C-values Database
diploid inferred1×PloiDB · genus-scale
Record type7 963 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
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.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions65 of 148 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| TAIElocation not on record | 48 |
| Taipei, TW | 36 |
| Tsukuba, JP | 30 |
| Nishihara, JP | 28 |
| Bronx, US | 28 |
| Xiamen, CN | 20 |
| Saint Louis, US | 19 |
| Beijing, CN | 17 |
| Salvador, BR | 14 |
| Taipei, TW | 13 |
| National Biodiversity Institute, Costa Ricalocation not on record | 12 |
| Laboratorio de Ictiologialocation not on record | 11 |
| Chaguaramas, TT | 11 |
| National Museum of Natural Sciencelocation not on record | 10 |
| Tampa, US | 10 |
| Auckland, NZ | 9 |
| Instituto do Meio Ambientelocation not on record | 9 |
| UFBAlocation not on record | 9 |
| Departamento de Sistematica e Ecologialocation not on record | 9 |
| Chengdu, CN | 9 |
| Durban, ZA | 8 |
| JBRJlocation not on record | 8 |
| Puerto Ayora, EC | 8 |
| Brisbane, AU | 7 |
| Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record | 7 |
| Durango, MX | 7 |
| Honolulu, US | 7 |
| Chengdu, CN | 7 |
| BISHlocation not on record | 6 |
| Université de Bordeauxlocation not on record | 6 |
| St. Augustine, TT | 6 |
| Blumenau, BR | 6 |
| Stockholm, SE | 5 |
| Kew, GB | 5 |
| UEPAlocation not on record | 5 |
| UEMAlocation not on record | 5 |
| Kagoshima, JP | 5 |
| Masindi, UG | 5 |
| Kunming, CN | 4 |
| Feira de Santana, BR | 4 |
| University of Stellenboschlocation not on record | 4 |
| Ilhéus, BR | 4 |
| HUENFlocation not on record | 4 |
| Universidade de Passo Fundolocation not on record | 3 |
| Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS)location not on record | 3 |
| UEMlocation not on record | 3 |
| Fortaleza, BR | 3 |
| Maringá, BR | 3 |
| Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (MNCR)location not on record | 3 |
| Guilin, CN | 3 |
| San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record | 3 |
| Universidade Federal do Ceara, Departamento de Biologialocation not on record | 3 |
| Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeirolocation not on record | 3 |
| Antiguo Cuscatlán, SV | 2 |
| Chongqing Museumlocation not on record | 2 |
| Edinburgh, GB | 2 |
| UnBlocation not on record | 2 |
| UFSClocation not on record | 2 |
| UNESClocation not on record | 2 |
| UNIVASFlocation not on record | 2 |
| CASlocation not on record | 2 |
| UFMSlocation not on record | 2 |
| CEPLAClocation not on record | 2 |
| UNESP-FCAlocation not on record | 2 |
| UFRPElocation not on record | 2 |
| Denver, US | 2 |
| Institut fur Allgemeine Mikrobiologielocation not on record | 2 |
| UNIVILLElocation not on record | 2 |
| Mexico City, MX | 2 |
| UTFPR-CPlocation not on record | 2 |
| Departamento de Geologia, Universidad de Chilelocation not on record | 2 |
| Smithfield, AU | 2 |
| Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)location not on record | 2 |
| Pondicherry, IN | 2 |
| Brasília, BR | 2 |
| North Carolina Zoological Parklocation not on record | 2 |
| Riverside, US | 2 |
| UFRRJlocation not on record | 2 |
| Universidad de Caldas (UCaldas)location not on record | 2 |
| Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas - SINCHIlocation not on record | 2 |
| Cascavel, BR | 2 |
| UFESlocation not on record | 2 |
| Tokushima, JP | 2 |
| nlocation not on record | 2 |
| FUVATESlocation not on record | 2 |
| UNICAMPlocation not on record | 2 |
| Nagano City, JP | 2 |
| Miami, US | 2 |
| Cenargenlocation not on record | 2 |
| Henry Brockhouse Collectionlocation not on record | 2 |
| Universidad del Quindío (UniQuindío)location not on record | 2 |
| Toyama, JP | 2 |
| Ann Arbor, US | 2 |
| REALlocation not on record | 2 |
| Mount Annan, AU | 1 |
| LDlocation not on record | 1 |
| Universidade Federal de Santa Catarinalocation not on record | 1 |
| Wlocation not on record | 1 |
| Foz do Iguaçu, BR | 1 |
| Chicago, US | 1 |
| Criciúma, BR | 1 |
| Burlington, US | 1 |
| HAWlocation not on record | 1 |
| Universidad Católica de Oriente (UCO)location not on record | 1 |
| Federal University of Espírito Santolocation not on record | 1 |
| Gujarat Biodiversity Gene Banklocation not on record | 1 |
| CPATSAlocation not on record | 1 |
| National Institute of Biological Resourceslocation not on record | 1 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 1 |
| EL PASO, US | 1 |
| Jena Microbial Resource Collectionlocation not on record | 1 |
| León, NI | 1 |
| Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)location not on record | 1 |
| QCNElocation not on record | 1 |
| Chongqing Natural History Museumlocation not on record | 1 |
| HACAMlocation not on record | 1 |
| Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Moreloslocation not on record | 1 |
| US | 1 |
| Brasília, BR | 1 |
| Minia, EG | 1 |
| FJIDClocation not on record | 1 |
| S.Saensouklocation not on record | 1 |
| Campo Mourão, BR | 1 |
| Herbarium of South China Botanical Gardenlocation not on record | 1 |
| UFPElocation not on record | 1 |
| Paris, FR | 1 |
| INMAlocation not on record | 1 |
| Canberra, AU | 1 |
| Gump Stationlocation not on record | 1 |
| Pretoria, ZA | 1 |
| Cuiabá, BR | 1 |
| Seropédica, BR | 1 |
| Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicachlocation not on record | 1 |
| OTSlocation not on record | 1 |
| Museo naturalistico del Frignano Ferruccio Minghellilocation not on record | 1 |
| UNESP-RClocation not on record | 1 |
| Dekalb, US | 1 |
| Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record | 1 |
| Universidade Federal do Maranhãolocation not on record | 1 |
| Ivano-Frankivsk, UA | 1 |
| Universidade Federale do Rio Grande do Sullocation not on record | 1 |
| UFSCarlocation not on record | 1 |
| UFABClocation not on record | 1 |
| CJBGlocation not on record | 1 |
| URCAlocation not on record | 1 |
| TAFORI-LSRClocation not on record | 1 |
| Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldilocation not on record | 1 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Alpinia zerumbet 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
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
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.