Appearance
Turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches up to 1 m tall. It has highly branched, yellow to orange, cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes.The leaves are alternate and arranged in two rows. They are divided into leaf sheath, petiole, and leaf blade. From the leaf sheaths, a false stem is formed. The petiole is 50 to 115 cm long. The simple leaf blades are usually 76 to 115 cm long and rarely up to 230 cm. They have a width of 38 to 45 cm and are oblong to elliptical, narrowing at the tip.
Naming
The name possibly derives from Middle English or Early Modern English as ' or '. It may be of Latin origin, '. The Latin specific epithet "longa" means long.Distribution
The greatest diversity of "Curcuma" species by number alone is in India, at around 40 to 45 species. Thailand has a comparable 30 to 40 species. Other countries in tropical Asia also have numerous wild species of "Curcuma". Recent studies have also shown that the taxonomy of "C. longa" is problematic, with only the specimens from South India being identifiable as "C. longa". The phylogeny, relationships, intraspecific and interspecific variation, and even identity of other species and cultivars in other parts of the world still need to be established and validated. Various species currently utilized and sold as "turmeric" in other parts of Asia have been shown to belong to several physically similar taxa, with overlapping local names.References:
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