Alpina nutans

Common Name:
Dwarf Cardamom

Description:
Alpinia nutans, commonly known as Dwarf Cardamom, is a lush, aromatic tropical plant prized for its bold foliage and fragrant leaves. Despite its name, it is not a true cardamom, but it shares a similar spicy-sweet scent that makes it popular for sensory gardens and landscaping. Native to South and Central America, this ginger family member forms dense clumps of broad, lance-shaped green leaves that release a delightful cardamom-like fragrance when crushed. While it rarely flowers in cooler climates like Melbourne, its primary appeal lies in its ornamental foliage and suitability for shaded or semi-shaded areas. Dwarf Cardamom prefers rich, moist, well-drained soil and thrives in humid environments. In Melbourne, it benefits from a sheltered position and regular watering during hot or dry spells. Though it can be used indoors in well-lit spaces, it excels outdoors as a border or understorey plant, creating a tropical effect in gardens with minimal effort.

Form:

• Shrub - Clumping / Grass-like / Mounding

• Shrub - Small

Mature Size:

• Height: 1–1.2 m

• Width: 1 m

Aspect:

• Part Shade

• Full Shade

• Indoors / Well lit

Flowering:

• Flowers in Summer (rarely in Melbourne)

• Does not flower under Melbourne's weather conditions

Flower Colour:

• White with yellow and red markings (when flowering)

Key Attributes:

• Suitable for Pots

• Scented flowers

• Herbaceous

• Perennial

• Suitable for Indoor Growing

• Aromatic foliage

• Fast growing

• Low maintenance

Toxicity:
Non-toxic to humans and pets

Companion Plants:

• Hosta cultivars

• Clivia miniata

• Fern species

• Zantedeschia aethiopica

• Aspidistra elatior