About Renealmia alpinia (Rottb.) Maas
Renealmia alpinia (Rottb.) Maas is a species of flowering plant native to the Americas. Its native range extends from southern Mexico through most of South America, but it is not present in the Southern Cone, and it also grows on several Caribbean islands. In Quechua, this plant is called misk'i p'anqa: misk'i means sweet or honey, and p'anqa means bract, so the name translates to "sweet bract" or "honey bract". This name references the species' use as a culinary herb, particularly for flavoring fish. Among Spanish speakers, it is called jenjibre-de-jardin, which means "garden ginger". Like common ginger (Zingiber officinale), jenjibre-de-jardin (Renealmia alpinia) belongs to the plant family Zingiberaceae. In Trinidad, this species is commonly known as mardi gras; hunters there give the plant to their hunting dogs either orally or topically to treat a range of conditions, from sprains to snakebite. In Suriname, the species is known as masoesa.
