Hedychium spicatum (Spiked Ginger Lily)

Native from the Himalayas to south-central China and Indochina, this perennial herb produces upright leafy shoots from underground rhizomes. Large, lance-shaped leaves accompany a terminal spike of fragrant flowers. The blossoms combine white spreading petal-like lobes with orange or reddish coloring near the base, while the stamen can also be reddish. Green bracts enclose the flower bases along the spike. Flowering commonly occurs in late summer and autumn in cultivation. The aromatic rhizomes yield an essential oil used in perfumery, and dried rhizomes are also used as a fragrance during festivals in India. Photographed in Florida.