taxonID	type	description	language	source
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: — Zingiber edule is similar to Z. neotruncatum T. L. Wu, K. Larsen & Turland in Wu et al. (2000: 91) (Fig. 2) in truncate ligule and the shape of its labellum and lateral staminodes, but differs by having free ligule lobes (vs. ligule lobes joined almost to apex), bract greenish yellow ca. 2 / 3 of the base and reddish brown tinge towards apex (vs. red) and labellum and lateral staminodes brownish yellow (vs. white or pale yellow).	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — CHINA. Yunnan Province: Mengla county, Mengla Town, Bubeng Village, voucher from a cultivated plant at Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops, 13 August 2023, H. B. Ding & Y. X. Gong D 665 [fl.] (holotype: HITBC [HITBC 0122105]!).	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	description	Perennial rhizomatous herb 1.5 – 2.5 m tall, forming clumps, with 2 – 5 leafy shoots per clump. Rhizomes branched, thickened, fleshy, strongly aromatic, 2 – 5 cm in diam., reddish brown externally and internally (fresh rhizomes). Leafy shoots with 30 – 38 leaves when flowering, 5 – 8 leafless sheaths at base; bladeless sheaths brownish yellow, lower ones red-brown or red, pubescent; leaf sheaths green, pubescent. Ligule 5 – 6 mm long, pubescent, apex truncate, ligule lobes free; petiole reduced to a light green pulvinus, 1 – 3 mm long, densely white pubescent; lamina linear, 30 – 40 × 3 – 5 cm, adaxially dark green and glabrous, abaxially pale green and white appressed villous, base obtuse to cuneate, apex attenuate. Inflorescence 1 – 3 per pseudostem, arising directly from the rhizome near the base, with 1 – 3 flowers opening at a time; peduncles erect, 20 – 45 cm long, sheathing bracts 5 – 9 per peduncle, elliptic to oblong, 4 – 6.5 cm long (shortest basally, progressively longer distally), involute, 2 – 3 cm wide when flattened, dark red, externally pubescent, apex emarginate to obtuse; spike 10 – 20 × 3 – 5 cm, fusiform, consisting of 45 – 65 imbricate fertile bracts, each subtending a single flower, bracts obovate, 3.5 – 4.5 × 2.0 – 4.0 cm (smaller towards the apex), convex with incurved apex, externally greenish yellow ca. 2 / 3 of the base, reddish brown tinge towards apical part when flowering, sparsely pubescent, internally brownish yellow, glabrous, apex obtuse and involute, margin membranous and pubescent; bracteoles narrowly oblong, 3.5 – 3.7 cm long, involute, 0.8 – 1.2 cm wide when flattened, brownish yellow, reddish brown tinge at the apex. Flowers 8.0 – 8.5 cm long, much exserted beyond the bracts; calyx tubular, 1.4 – 1.6 cm long, ca. 4 mm in diam. at base, slightly swollen in the middle, ca. 6 mm in diam., membranaceous, semi-translucent cream-white, sparsely pubescent, with unilateral incision to 5 mm deep, apex almost truncate with inconspicuous teeth; floral tube 4.2 – 4.5 cm long, shallowly curved, widening gradually towards apex, cream-white at base, brownish yellow towards the apical part, glabrous; dorsal corolla lobe elliptic, 3.1 – 3.2 × 1.1 – 1.2 cm, brownish yellow with semi-translucent veins, glabrous, apex acute; lateral corolla lobes narrowly oblong, 2.8 – 3.0 × 0.7 – 0.8 cm, brownish yellow with semi-translucent veins, glabrous, apex acute; labellum elliptic, 3.0 – 3.1 × 1.8 – 1.9 cm excluding lateral staminodes, (3.1 – 3.2 cm broad inclusive of lateral staminodes), brownish yellow, slight reddish brown stripes in the center but not mottled, glabrous, apex rounded and entire; lateral staminodes 2.1 – 2.2 × 0.9 – 1.0 cm, elliptic, brownish yellow, with significantly reddish brown patches at the base, connate to labellum in their basal 1 / 5 – 1 / 4, glabrous, apex rounded. Stamen 3.1 – 3.3 cm long with anther crest stretched, filament sessile, anther ca. 1.5 cm long (excluding anther crest) by ca. 3.5 mm broad, connective tissue brownish yellow, glabrous; anther thecae ca. 1.4 cm long, dehiscing throughout entire length, pollen bright yellow; anther crest beak-shaped, 1.5 – 1.6 cm long when stretches, brownish yellow. Style filiform, white, glabrous; stigma extending to the tip of anther crest, funnel-shaped, slightly thicker than the style, white, ostiole ciliate. Ovary cylindrical, slightly swollen in middle, trilocular, 5 – 6 × 4 – 5 mm, brownish yellow, densely villous; epigynous glands two, narrowly conical, 8 – 9 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diam. at base, brownish yellow. Fruit not seen.	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	biology_ecology	Phenology: — Based on our surveys, the new species was observed flowering from August to September. Fruit is not seen.	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	etymology	Etymology: — The local villagers like to plant this species around their houses or under rubber (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex de Jussieu 1824: t. 12) Müller (1865: 204 )) forests because its delicious rhizomes can be use as edible ingredient. Thus, the specific epithet ‘ edule ’ is given refers to the edible rhizomes. The Chinese name is ‘ měi wèi jiāng (ṯ 味姜) ’ meaning delicious ginger.	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: — Zingiber edule is currently known only from its type locality and nearby areas, which grows on sandstone soil, in moist, half-shaded areas under evergreen broad-leaved forest.	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	conservation	Conservation status: — Zingiber edule is currently known only from the type locality, based on the present knowledge and available data, conservation status is assessed as Data Deficient (DD; IUCN 2022).	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	materials_examined	Additional specimen examined (paratypes): — CHINA. Yunnan Province: Mengla county, Mengla Town, Bubeng Village, 8 August 2023, Y. X. Gong G 900 (HITBC); ibidem, voucher from a cultivated plant at Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops, 7 November 2025, X. S. Yan & Y. W. Ruan G 1036 (HITBC, PE).	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	discussion	Notes: — Zingiber edule is also similar to Z. ottensii Valeton (1918: 136) (Fig. 3), Z. zerumbet (Linnaeus 1753: 1) Roscoe ex Smith (1806: 105) (Fig. 4) and Z. parishii subsp. phuphanense Triboun & K. Larsen in Triboun et al. (2014: 62) (Fig. 5), but it differs from Z. ottensii in its shorter and truncate ligule (5 – 6 mm long (Fig. 6 A) vs. 10 – 15 mm long and apex rounded (Fig. 6 I )), linear lamina (35 – 40 × 3 – 5 cm (Fig. 6 B) vs. elliptic, 25 – 38 × 6.0 – 8.5 cm (Fig. 6 J )) and brownish yellow labellum (vs. mottled). It differs from Z. zerumbet in its shorter and truncate ligule (5 – 6 mm long (Fig. 6 A) vs. 20 – 28 mm long and apex obtuse (Fig. 6 M )) and labellum entire (vs. with a short cleft 5 – 6 mm). It differs from Z. parishii subsp. phuphanense in its longer and truncate ligule (5 – 6 mm long vs. 2 – 4 mm long and ligule bilobed, lobes rounded), larger lamina (35 – 40 × 3 – 5 cm vs. 20 – 32 × 1.8 – 3.0 cm) and brownish yellow labellum (vs. cream), and compact fertile bracts with an obtuse apex (vs. loose fertile bracts with a truncate apex). The comparison of the above five species is provided in Table 1.	en	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
