Flower profile
Yellow ginger
Hedychium flavescens
Yellow ginger is a wildflower. In Hawaii it's most often seen in bloom in June–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Hawaii
Quick look
Hedychium flavescens is a perennial flowering plant from the Zingiberaceae. It is native to the Himalayas, Sichuan, and northern Vietnam, and naturalized in various other lands.
- It belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. NatureServe
- In Hawaii, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,214 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #33 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
Yellow ginger gift ideas
Handmade yellow ginger gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Yellow ginger art print
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Yellow ginger greeting card
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Yellow ginger mug
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Yellow ginger earrings
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Yellow ginger embroidery pattern
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Yellow ginger sticker
When does it bloom?
In Hawaii, most flowering sightings come in June–December.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
- Hawaii
- Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. HAR 13-107
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Hedychium coronarium (“Butterfly Ginger”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records yellow ginger in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Hawaii.
Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui.
More Hawaii flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile HEFL5.
- iNaturalist, Hedychium flavescens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Hedychium flavescens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
- Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Hedychium flavescens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: Loïc Mathieu via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.