Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium) in the Ginger Lilies Database

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun to Partial Shade Partial or Dappled Shade
Water Preferences:	Wet Wet Mesic Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 8a -12.2 °C (10 °F) to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Maximum recommended zone:	Zone 11
Plant Height:	4 feet to 8 feet
Plant Spread:	2 feet to 4 feet
Leaves:	Evergreen Other: In mild winter climates the plant will die back in winter but re-emerge in spring.
Fruit:	Showy
Flowers:	Showy Fragrant
Flower Color:	White
Bloom Size:	4"-5"
Flower Time:	Summer Late summer or early fall Fall
Underground structures:	Rhizome
Resistances:	Humidity tolerant
Propagation: Other methods:	Division
Containers:	Suitable in 3 gallon or larger

Common names

Butterfly Ginger
White Ginger
Butterfly Lily
Garland Lily
Cinnamon Jasmine
Ginger Lily

Photo Gallery

Location: Southern Pines, NC (Boyd House garden)
Date: November 9, 2022
White butterfly ginger #131 nn; LHB p. 290, 39-6-1, "Greek combin

Uploaded by WebTucker

Uploaded by WebTucker

Location: Sandhills Horticultural Gardens Southern Pines, NC
Date: October 30, 2023
White butterfly ginger #131 nn; LHB p. 290, 39-6-1, "Greek combin

Uploaded by WebTucker

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Location: Rain Forest, Paraty, Brazil
Date: 2010-02-13

Uploaded by bonitin

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Location: Cary, North Carolina private garden
Date: 2021-09-27
Butterfly Ginger, sweet fragrance

Uploaded by FurryRoseBear

Location: Hood, Alabama
Date: 2022-08-28

Uploaded by HoodLily

Location: Enterprise, Al. 36330
Date: Oct. 22nd 2013

Uploaded by Seedfork

Location: My yard, Archer, Florida
Date: 2019-07-15

Uploaded by carlissa904

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: Tampa FL
Date: 2020-02-02
Seed release

Uploaded by ScotTi

Location: By the river in the rainforest, Paraty, Brazil
Date: 2013-12-27

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: Hood, Alabama
Date: 2022-09-04

Uploaded by HoodLily

Uploaded by hiyall

Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Botanical Garden near Brussels)
Date: 2022-10-17

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Location: Orangeburg, SC
Date: Summer 2012
Wonderful fragrance

Uploaded by Deebie

Location: Nationale Plantentuin (Meise - Brussel - Belgium)
Date: 2019-10-21

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Uploaded by bwbillh

Location: Southwest Florida
Date: fall 2008
intensely fragrant blooms

Uploaded by Dutchlady1

Uploaded by HoodLily

Location: Hood, Alabama
Date: 2022-08-16

Uploaded by HoodLily

Location: Tampa FL
Date: 2020-02-18
Rhizome root

Uploaded by ScotTi

Uploaded by Xeramtheum

Location: Green Spring Gardens, Alexandria, Virginia, US
Date: 2020-09-17

Uploaded by Nick_Kurzenko

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: Gulf-coast Texas
Date: 2014-12-01
Sweet Sweet Heliotropo

Uploaded by value4dollars

Location: Carbon Hill, AL
Date: July 2016
Ginger Lily

Uploaded by AmiC

Location: Jacksonville, Fl.
Date: 2014-05-12
Beginning to bud. First full year in my garden.

Uploaded by terrafirma

Location: My garden
Date: 2020-04-05
These are 3 feet long meandering everywhere.

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: Rain Forest, Paraty, Brazil
Date: 2010-02-05

Uploaded by bonitin

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: Nationale Plantentuin (Meise - Brussel - Belgium)

Uploaded by RuuddeBlock

Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA
Date: 2021-09-13
Overwinters in protected space in zone 7b

Uploaded by LoriMT

Location: Jacksonville, Fl.
Date: 2014-05-28
My 1st bloom. So wonderfully scented.

Uploaded by terrafirma

Location: Atlantic rainforest, Paraty, Brazil
Date: 2013-12-27

Uploaded by bonitin

Uploaded by bonitin

Uploaded by gingin

Location: Tochigi, Japan
Date: 2016-11-24
The first snow on autumn, then the plant will die down, and sprin

Uploaded by tofitropic

Uploaded by hiyall

Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA (zone 7b north Geogia mountains)
Date: 2022-04-04

Uploaded by LoriMT

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-05-27
Newly emerging plants

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Vero Beach, Florida
Date: 2016-06-18

Uploaded by plantladylin

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: all photos from my gardens
Date: 2021-08-24

Uploaded by pinkiris

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: My yard in Arlington, Texas.
Date: Summer 2010
These flowers smell wonderful.

Uploaded by frostweed

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach, Florida
Date: 2016-11-06

Uploaded by plantladylin

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: Atlantic Rainforest, Paraty, Brazil
Date: 2013-12-21

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: In my garden...NC zone 7
Date: Sept. 2004

Uploaded by JJsgarden

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Jul 18, 2018 1:57 PM concerning plant:

I'm in zone 9 and the 1st flowers of 2018 opened June 24. I knew it before seeing the pretty flowers because the fragrance caught me off guard all the way to my patio 10 feet away from the plants.

Reply to this comment
Posted by agreenerside (Quantico maryland - Zone 7b) on Sep 3, 2015 8:21 PM concerning plant:

This plant is fascinating, and it's captivating when in bloom. Otherwise, people think it's weird-looking corn. Rhizomes on the surface may freeze, but they survive from tips underground in zone 7 just fine. I would imagine zone 6 with mulch would be fine. Always looks stressed in full sun without ample water.
They are showing flowering heads as of September 1.

Reply to this comment
Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Oct 27, 2018 10:35 AM concerning plant:

My plants are still blooming here in zone 9 in late October, but the spent flower cones of August have gone to seed. I've collected the small red ornamental seed pods & will offer them in the DND Swap in November. I've never had to grow them from seeds as my clump enlarges each year by rhizomes.

Reply to this comment
Posted by robertduval14 (Milford, New Hampshire - Zone 5b) on Sep 20, 2016 7:30 PM concerning plant:

National Flower of Cuba.

Reply to this comment

Plant Events from our members
Mechellet	On March 14, 2015	Seeds sown Started 4 seeds in peat pellet
Mechellet	From February 15, 2015 to March 14, 2015	Seeds sown 10 seeds in moist paper towel on cable box (in sandwich bag)
Chantell	On April 22, 2022	Transplanted Transplanted these from townhouse to new house March 2021 - heavy flush Fall 2021 and now they're already coming up.
Chantell	On April 15, 2006	Obtained plant Needed moved multiple time till spot was found that wasn't too shady yet provided enough sun - fall bloomer for me
UncleWill	On June 9, 2019	Obtained plant
lovesblooms	On February 26, 2020	Seeds sown indoors, heat, lights
tabbycat	On August 15, 2022	Bloomed A few fragrant blooms now
tabbycat	On April 15, 2022	Miscellaneous Event About 5 stalks returned & are about 2' tall
tabbycat	On March 25, 2021	Plant emerged A few just starting
tabbycat	On February 25, 2021	Maintenance performed Cut dead growth to ground
tabbycat	On June 15, 2020	Bloomed
WebTucker	On November 9, 2022	Bloomed

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Ginger Lilies Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

Ginger Lilies

Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium)