As noted in the opening page, this section has been roughly divided into groups based on plant habit and flower form. The are two main divisions in the genus based on overall growth habit. One group (the "Flat Leaved" species) has leaves that are round or nearly so with leaf stems (petioles) that are very short to non-existent. The leaf blades are held very close to the ground or even firmly pressed against it. Each growing point bears few leaves at a time often only two. The other group has foliage that is always longer than wide and the leaves come to a distinct point sometimes even being linear in form. This group referred to as the "Semi-Erect" species has leaves with petioles ranging from short to quite long and although the leaves may be held somewhat close to the ground they never hug it. Each growing point usually carries more than two leaves.
Within the Flat Leaved species are two further divisions, one based on the species K. galanga and the other being a catch-all of species that have the foliar characteristics of this group but flowers of varying forms.
The Semi-Erect group has four divisions consisting of plants like K. angustifolia, K. pulchra, K. rotunda and another catch-all group.
The final group are some genera that either had all or some of its species considered to be Kaempferia in the past. It also includes a genus that is very similar in appearance to Kaempferia (Cornukaempferia).
The links below will take you to sections with a brief introduction to the species and thumbnails of the plants that link to larger images.
Flat Leaved Group Pages -
Semi-Erect Leaved Group Pages -
Related Genera Page -