Kunci pepet (Kaempferia rotunda)

Kunci pepet or temu rapet (Kaempferia rotunda) is a plant species in Zingiberaceae, a shrub that grows upright, the vegetative phase is leaf growth and the generative phase is flower growth, the leaves have symmetrical patterns, are often planted for beautiful leaves and traditional medicinal materials.

K. rotunda has 2-5 leaves, oblong lanceolate shape, 7-36 cm long and 4-11 cm wide. Top surface bare, green and whitish in symmetrical patterns. The lower surface is hairy and purplish in color. Frond length is 7-24 cm.

Inflorescences emerge from another bud on the rhizome with 4-6 buds. The petals are white or greenish and 3-7 cm long. The crown is tubular at the base with a line, white, curved outward and 5 cm wide. Labellum inverted heart-shaped, 4-7 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, purple-lilac with yellowish.

The rhizome is short, branched, smells good and has a bitter taste. The roots are fragrant and egg-shaped. The rhizome produces coarse, watery roots that appear to grow in clusters. The flower grows indicating that the rhizome is ready to be harvested.

Kunci pepet grows wild in wet and dry forests, teak forests, bamboo forests and meadows and elevations up to 1300 m. Young tubers can be eaten as a salad, powder and appetite enhancer. Rhizome is used as a medicine for stomach pain and dysentery.

Plants are also used for the manufacture of fragrances, cosmetics and insect repellents. The rhizome and tubers are distilled to produce essential oils containing cineol. Beautiful leaves are also often used for ornamental plants in pots.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Kaempferia
Species: Kaempferia rotunda

Six new species forming the Sumbana species group in genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg 1798 from Indonesia

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