Butterfly ginger lily is beautiful and fragrant flower native to East India.
It is a robust,
attractive plant that will reach 6 feet in containers. Leaves are lance-shaped
and sharp-pointed, 8-24 in long and 2-5 in wide and
arranged in 2 neat ranks that run the length of the stem. From midsummer
through autumn the stalks are topped with 6-12 in long clusters
of wonderfully fragrant white flowers that look like butterflies. The flowers
eventually give way to showy seed pods chock full of bright red seeds.
Butterfly ginger lily (
takhellei) is used in Manipur to make a floral
ornament known as
nachom, together with
Mimosa Bush flowers (
chingonglei). Two
or three flowers
of the chingonglei are inserted inside the lily and the combination of the two
flowers is regarded as divine. This ornamental flower combination is usually
worn behind the ear by womenfolk.
The plants are very robust and quickly grow out of the containers. They need
to be divided yearly. Remove old stems after flowers have faded to promote new
growth.