Family: Commelinaceae

Blue ginger is an herbaceous plant with smooth leaves growing spirally on a fleshy stem. The terminal spike is large and bright blue with a yellow center that is suitable for use as a cut flower, although they aren’t long-lasting in a vase.

Blue ginger will grow in full sun. However, the color and vigor are better when it has some shade. The striking, beautiful flowers are long-lasting and eye-catching, a perfect addition to the garden—propagate vegetatively from cuttings.

Plant Uses:

• Container plant
• Cut flower
• Ornamental
• Shade
• Specimen

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Bird-dispersed seeds: Fleshy, orange-red fruits with arilloid seeds (bird-dispersal syndrome).
  
• Vegetative reproduction: Rhizomatous; cuttings root easily.
  
• Tolerates mutilation: Can regenerate from rhizomes.
  
• Shade tolerant: Grows in partial shade.
  
• Storage organs: Possesses tubers for survival and regeneration.
  
• Widely introduced: History of ornamental introductions (e.g., Hawaii, Florida).
  
• Potentially naturalizing on Kaua'i and Hawai'i

Low Risk Traits:

• Not a weed: Absent from invasive weed lists; no agricultural or environmental weed risk.
  
• No congeneric weeds: No weedy Dichorisandra species known.
  
• Non-toxic: No evidence of toxicity to animals or humans.
  
• No physical defenses: Lacks spines, thorns, or burrs.
  
• Climate limited: Suited to tropical/subtropical climates; frost-sensitive.