''Aframomum zambesiacum'' is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Its common name is nangawo. It is native to Kimalila, part of the southern highlands in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. ''A. zambesiacum'' grows in upland and

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

s, often near water, between altitudes of . Aframomum zambesiacum fruits

''Aframomum zambesiacum'' is a leafy plant that grows from a short, branched

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. The leafy stems grow in clumps up to tall. 20–50

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

- pollinated flowers are borne in heads arising from the base of the shoots. Petals are white with a large crimson patch at the base. The red

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s are oval, long and wide with prominent ridges running from top to bottom. Seeds are shiny and dark-brown.

Notes

References

* * zambesiacum Plants described in 1898 Flora of Tanzania Taxa named by Karl Moritz Schumann Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker {{Zingiberales-stub