Alpinia japonica

Quick Characteristics:

Alpinia japonica (Thunb.) Miq. is an unusually hardy member of this genus from China, Taiwan, and Japan. It is mostly evergreen in zone 8b and produces spikes of peppermint-striped red and white flowers in the spring. These occasionally produce small grape-shaped seed capsules which take a year to mature and turn bright red the following year when flowers are emerging. Height: to 3 m. Photos by Alani Davis.