Alpinia Caerulea

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Alpinia caerulea, native ginger, is an understorey perennial herb to 3 m., growing under rainforest, gallery forest and wet sclerophyll forest canopy in eastern Australia.

Leaves are up to 40 cm long and 3-10 cm wide. The inflorescence is 10-30 cm long. The blue capsule is globose 1 cm across, with a brittle outer covering containing black seed and white pulp.The white pulp of native ginger has a pleasant sour flavour, used to activate salivary glands to moisten the mouth when bushwalking, with the seeds usually being discarded.

The capsules can also be used as a flavouring spice, using the whole fruit and seed dried and ground.

They can also be used to impart a pleasant sour flavour and red color in herbal teas.