Roscoea
| Roscoea | |
|---|---|
| R. auriculata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Genus: | Roscoea Sm. |
| Species | |
|
See text. | |
Roscoea is a genus of perennial plants of the family Zingiberaceae (the ginger family). While most members of the ginger family are tropical, Roscoea species are native to cooler mountainous regions of the Himalayas, China and its southern neighbours. Roscoea flowers superficially resemble orchids, although they are not related. The flowers of Roscoea have a complicated structure, in which some of the showy coloured parts are not formed by petals, but by staminodes, sterile stamens which have evolved to resemble petals. Some species are grown as ornamental plants in gardens.