Skip to main content

Temu kunci (Boesenbergia rotunda)

Dlium Temu kunci (Boesenbergia rotunda)

Temukunci or fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda) is a species in the Zingiberaceae, grows upright up to 80 cm, vertical roots, spices and rhizomes are used as seasonings in cooking, grows in rain forests, slopes, agricultural land and wastelands up to elevation 1000 meters.

B. rotunda has a strong rhizome, bright yellow, elongated ovoid and very flavorful. Each individual has 3-4 leaves, the midrib is red, the ligula has 2 indentations and is 5 mm long.





The petioles are 20 cm long and form a linear canal. Leaves green on both surfaces, elliptical pointed tip, 25-50 cm long and 7-17 cm wide. Terminal compound flowers on pseudo stems, emerging from the midrib, 3-7 cm long and fragrant. Tapered sheath with a size of 4-5 cm. Petals 1.5–2 cm and ends split. Crown forms a tube, 4.5-5.5 cm long, lobes 1.5-2 cm long.

Lateral staminodia are pale pink and 1.5 cm long. The labellum is white or bright red with purple stripes, 2–3.5 cm long and concave. Short stamen, 2 branches and 1-3 mm.

Temu Kunci grows wild in the tropics with lowlands and in dense teak forests up to 1000 meters elevation. Flowering January-February and April-June. Grows well in hot and humid climates on fertile soil, good air and water.

This species is used as a spice in the kitchen and traditional medicine which is useful as a sputum laxative or cough suppressant, farting, appetite enhancer, curing canker sores and booster breast milk.

Rhizome essential oil has an effect on the growth of Entamoeba coli, Staphylococus aureus and Candida albicans. In vitro calcium kidney stone dissolving. This plant works as an antibacterial, antiparasitic, treats oral infections, intestinal infections, antioxidants, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic and helps obese patients.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Subfamily: Zingiberoideae
Tribe: Zingibereae
Genus: Boesenbergia Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 685 (1891)
Species: Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. in Kulturpflanze 6: 239 (1958)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Curcuma rotunda L. in Sp. Pl.: 2 (1753)
Gastrochilus rotundus (L.) Alston in H.Trimen, Handb. Fl. Ceylon 6(Suppl.): 281 (1931)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Boesenbergia baimaii Saensouk & K.Larsen in Nordic J. Bot. 21: 595 (2001 publ. 2002)
Boesenbergia cochinchinensis (Gagnep.) Loes. in H.G.A.Engler, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2. 15a: 571 (1930)
Boesenbergia isanensis Saensouk & P.Saensouk in J. Jap. Bot. 95: 65 (2020)
Boesenbergia pandurata (Roxb.) Schltr. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 12: 316 (1913)
Gastrochilus panduratus (Roxb.) Ridl. in J. Straits Branch Roy. Asiat. Soc. 32: 114 (1899)
Kaempferia cochinchinensis Gagnep. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 54: 165 (1907)
Kaempferia ovata Roscoe in Trans. Linn. Soc. London 8: 351 (1807)
Kaempferia pandurata Roxb. in Asiat. Res. 11: 328 (1810)

PUBLICATIONS

Amy Yap Li Ching, Tang Sook Wah, Mohd Aspollah Sukari, Gwendoline Ee Cheng Lian, Mawardi Rahmani & Kaida Khalid (2007). Characterization of flavonoid derivatives from Boesenbergia rotunda (L.). Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences 1: 154-159.

Contu, S. (2009). Boesenbergia rotunda. Assessment using IUCN Categories and Criteria 3.1 (IUCN 2001). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Delin Wu & Larsen, K. (2010). Zingiberaceae. In: Flora of China.

Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Girmansyah, D. & al. (eds.) (2013). Flora of Bali an annotated checklist: 1-158. Herbarium Bogorensis, Indonesia.

Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.

Ibrahim, H. & Nugroho, A. (1999). Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. In: Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 13. Spices, eds C. C. de Guzman & J. S. Siemonsma, pp. 83-85. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Larsen, K. (1996). A prelimanary checklist of the Zingiberaceae of Thailand. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) 24: 35-49.

Ling Jing Jing, Mohamed, M., Rahmat, A. & Abu Bakar, M. F. (2010). Phytochemicals, antioxidant properties and anticancer investigations of the different parts of several gingers [sic] species ( Boesenbergia rotunda, Boesenbergia pulchella var [sic] attenuata and Boesenbergia armeniaca). Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 4: 27-32.

Mostaph, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Nguyen, Q.B. (2017). Thực Vật Chí Việt Nam. Flora of Vietnam 21: 1-489. Nhà xuất bản khoa học và kỹ thuật, Hà Nội.

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (2010). The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

VERNACULAR NAME

Ambon: Tumu kunci
Bima: Dumu kunci
Buru: Sun
English: Fingerroot, Temukunci, Lesser Galangal
Haruku: Aruhu Konci
Indonesian: Temu kunci, Temukunci
Javanese: Kunci
Madura: Konce
Makasar: Tamu konci
Seram: Rutu kakuzi
Sumatera: koncih
Ternate: Tamputi

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium

Popular Posts

Bugang (Clerodendrum calamitosum)

Bugang ( Clerodendrum calamitosum ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect shrub, growing up to 1 meter tall, with cylindrical, green stems and white hairs. The leaves are opposite. The leaf blade is oval, wavy, with a central main vein with numerous pinnate minor veins, and serrated margins. The leaves are up to 9 cm long and 7 cm wide. The petiole is up to 2 cm long. The flowers are star-shaped, white, up to 3 cm in diameter and up to 6 cm in total length. The fruit is round, dark green, turning black when ripe. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Ajugoideae Genus: Clerodendrum L. in Sp. Pl.: 637 (1753) Species: Clerodendrum calamitosum L. in Mant. Pl. 1: 90 (1767) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Clerodendrum fastigiatum (W.Hunter ex Ridl.) H.J.Lam in Verben. Malay. Archip.: 317 (1919) Volkameria alternifolia Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 137 (1768) Volkameria fastigiata W.Hunter...

Common sun skink (Eutropis multifasciata)

Kadal kebun or bengkarung or Mabuya multifasciata or common sun skink ( Eutropis multifasciata ) is a species of lizard in Scincidae, has a pattern of faint lines extending to the sides of the body, measuring 18 to 22 cm in length with a tail length of about 60% of the overall body and more many live on the ground. E. multifasciata has a sharp head with a very short neck and a square cross section. The upper part is dark brown or shiny grayish brown with a golden body side especially near the neck. Sometimes also decorated with small pale spots on the back. The lower neck is light brown and the abdomen to the anus is pale brown. The muzzle is reddish, the tail is the same color as the body, decorated with a faint dark line on the sides. The arms are also the same color as the upper body. Common sun skinks usually live on the edge of forests, gardens, rice fields and human settlements. They spend most of their time on the ground, usually in crevices and rocky cliffs as a place t...

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Durian ( Durio zibethinus ) is a species of tropical plant in Malvaceae, an annual tree, everlasting green but there are certain times to grow new leaves after the fruiting period is over, popularly called "king of fruit" and considered a controversial fruit where many people like, but some others are even fed up with the scent. D. zibethinus grows to 25-50 m, reddish brown bark and irregular peeling, leafy and stretched canopy. The leaves are oval shaped to lanceolate, 10-15x3-4.5 cm, sitting alternately, stemmed, taper or blunt base and taper-pointed sloping, bright green upper side, the lower side covered with silver or golden scales. Flowers and fruit Flowers appear directly on the trunk or old branches at the proximal, clustered in panicles containing 3-10 florets or flat-shaped florets. Rounded flower buds, 2 cm in diameter and long stem. Tubular petals, 3 cm long, additional petals split into 2-3 round lobes. Crown shaped spatula with a length of 2 times the ...