Curcuma inodora (scentless turmeric)

Curcuma inodora is native to India. It is reported to occur in Maharashtra, extending up to northern Karnataka, and has been more recently reported from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. It is common in barren, laterite areas, plains and roadside cuttings, and also occurs in tropical moist deciduous forest.

Curcuma inodora in flower (Image: J. M. Garg, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license)

Overview: A perennial herb that can grow up to 120 cm tall.

The plant is dormant from November to April/May when it appears above-ground again, growing up from its rhizomes (underground stems).

This dormancy has given rise to the common name hidden lily.

Flowers: Large, showy, pink-purple with a dark yellow band at the centre.

The main threats to Curcuma inodora come from habitat loss and overharvesting (for local medicinal use and the horticultural trade). Its habitats have suffered from conversion to agricultural land and human settlements and are now highly fragmented over large parts of its range. However, occurrence of C. inodora along roadsides suggests that the species is able to persist and regenerate in disturbed and secondary vegetation.

Ornamental gingers have rapidly increased in popularity in the western world in the past few years, promoting an increase in illegal collecting.

Curcuma inodora is being monitored as part of the IUCN Sampled Red List Index for Plants project, which aims to produce conservation assessments for a representative sample of the world’s plant species. This information will then be used to monitor trends in extinction risk and help focus conservation efforts where they are needed most.

Learn more about some of the plants that were assessed as part of this project

Use Kew's interactive map and charts to explore the state of plant life around the world and find out more about plants at risk

Curcuma inodora is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of muscular pain. Tubers are mixed with water to form a paste, which is applied locally. It is also used in the treatment of psychosomatic disorders and constipation.

An attractive plant with large, showy flowers, scentless turmeric is also cultivated as an ornamental.

Pressed and dried specimens of Curcuma inodora are held in Kew’s Herbarium, where they are available to researchers from around the world, by appointment. The details of herbarium specimens of some other Curcuma species can be seen online in Kew’s Herbarium Catalogue.

Search Kew’s science databases for more information on Curcuma inodora

Kew’s Sampled Red List Index for Plants project

eMonocot project