Dormant rhizomes begin shipping March 27 please add comment if you need a later shipping time.
This amazing Curcuma hybrid has been around for many years but just recently has become more widely available in the US and is making quite an impression. Very few plants provide such a dramatic and brilliant display of color and tropical elegance while being very easy to grow AND return every year in Zone 8 and above gardens. As with its siblings in the “Torch” hybrid series it has been sold under a couple different names. In very limited circles it was very known as ‘Red Diamond,’ then more widely as Red Torch, and now officially as ‘Ban Rai Red’ (sometimes spelled Banrai Red. These exciting Curcuma were developed at a breeding program at Chaing Mai University. It is a cross between C. aurantiaca and C. petiolata. This particular cross has yielded several beautiful hybrids such as ‘Manee Siam,’ ‘Sweet Memory,’ (both “Torches”) and most of the Sulee Series (Rainbow, Sunset, Sunshine, and Sunrise).
These do best in medium sun and grow from 1.5-2.5 feet tall. Hardy in Zone 8 and above.