''Etlingera fulgens'' is a species of herbaceous perennial plant of the family

Zingiberaceae Zingiberaceae () or the ginger family is a family of flowering plants made up of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes distributed throughout tropical Af ...

. This species occurs in southern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and peninsular

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

.Lim, C.K. (2000). "Taxonomic notes on Etlingera Giseke (Zingiberaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia: the Nicolaia taxa". Folia Malaysiana 1: 1–12. ''E. fulgens'' is used as an ornamental plant in landscape gardens for its bright red flowers and young leaves.

Description

''Etlingera fulgens'' can be recognized by its shiny undulating leaves that are dark green in colour. When young, the undersides of its leaves are bright red in color, turning greenish on maturing. In older leaves, only the petiole and midrib are red. Petioles are in length. Rhizomes, in diameter, occur just below the ground. The plant can grow up to tall. Crushed leaf sheaths emit a pleasant sour fragrance similar to that of ''

Etlingera elatior ''Etlingera elatior'' (also known as torch ginger, ginger flower, red ginger lily, torch lily, wild ginger, ''combrang, bunga kantan'', Philippine wax flower, ගොඩ ඕලු (goda olu), ගොඩ නෙලුම් (goda nelum), සිද් ...

''. Inflorescences are raised above the ground and infructescences are globular in shape.

Chemistry

Leaves of ''E. fulgens'' displayed stronger ferrous ion-

chelating Chelation is a type of bonding of ions and molecules to metal ions. It involves the formation or presence of two or more separate coordinate bonds between a Denticity, polydentate (multiple bonded) ligand and a single central metal atom. These l ...

ability than young leaves of ''

Camellia sinensis ''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves and leaf buds are used to produce the popular beverage, tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (not to ...

''.Chan, E.W.C., Lim, Y.Y., Omar, M. (2007). "Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of leaves of Etlingera species (Zingiberaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia". Food Chemistry 104 (4): 1586–1593. .

Chlorogenic acid Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is the ester of caffeic acid and (−)-quinic acid, functioning as an intermediate in lignin biosynthesis. The term "chlorogenic acids" refers to a related polyphenol family of esters, including hydroxycinnamic acids (caffe ...

found in leaves of ''E. fulgens'' was higher in content than ''

Lonicera japonica ''Lonicera japonica'', known as Japanese honeysuckle and golden-and-silver honeysuckle, is a species of honeysuckle native to eastern Asia. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species in a number of countries. Jap ...

'' (Japanese honeysuckle), the commercial source. Fruit and rhizome oils of ''E. fulgens'' are mainly

aliphatic In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons ( compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (; G. ''aleiphar'', fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated, like hexane, or ...

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

s with

cyclododecane Cyclododecane is an organic compound with the chemical formula (CH2)12. It is a waxy white solid at room temperature, and is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. It is an intermediate of Nylon 12, polyesters, and synthetic lubricating oils. ...

dodecanol Dodecanol , or lauryl alcohol, is an organic compound produced industrially from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. It is a fatty alcohol. Sulfate esters of lauryl alcohol, especially sodium lauryl sulfate, are very widely used as surfactants. Sod ...

, and cyclotetradecane as main constituents.Chua, L.S.L., Nor Azah, M.A., Sam, Y.Y., Mailina, J. (2005). "Wild gingers of Peninsular Malaysia: Conservation studies and investigation into their essential oils". In: Nor Azman, H. et al. (Eds.) Proceedings of the Eighth Malaysia Plan IRPA Seminar 2004, Forest Research Institute Malaysia. Oils of ''E. fulgens'' and '' E. elatior'' were very different in composition despite having very similar aroma. Oils of ''E. fulgens'' consist mainly of dodecyl acetate (21.6%), an

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...

, and pentadecanol (14.1%) and

hexadecanol Cetyl alcohol , also known as hexadecan-1-ol and palmityl alcohol, is a C-16 fatty alcohol with the formula CH3(CH2)15OH. At room temperature, cetyl alcohol takes the form of a waxy white solid or flakes. The name cetyl derives from the whale o ...

(3.60%), both long-chain

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3059345 fulgens