Shell Ginger is a tender herbaceous perennial in the ginger family grown for its attractive flowers and foliage. Specimens grow in upright clumps from chunky rhizomes that look (and smell) like culinary ginger. The rhizomes produce stout, slightly arching stems with variegated foliage. Many dark green, lance-shaped leaves up to 2 feet long grow at intervals along the stems. The plants can grow up to 10 feet tall, but in northern areas where grown as an annual, they generally only get 3 or 4 feet tall. The cultivar ‘Variegata’ is a smaller, more compact plant featuring vividly, irregularly striped foliage. The leaves vary substantially in the amount of variegation, with some largely green streaked with creamy yellow or gold, whereas others are more heavily yellow with some green stripes. Show More