Burkina Faso: Wild Ginger
A stop along the dusty road on the way to Bobo Dioulasso and the dry forest ground was sprinkled with pink and blue single flowers that seemed totally out of place. The flowers were just inches from the ground, had no leaves at all, but just a single large flower, very tender and soft. Upon research, this turned out to be critically endangered Siphonochilus aethiopicus or Wild Ginger. The plant has a large underground system of roots or rhizomes that preserve it during the dry season. Flowers pop after the first rains and last only for a day each, while the forest is still dry and are easily visible to insects for pollination, given their size and color. Once the flowers fade, and rain start in full, the leaves come out. The plant is highly sought after in traditional and herbal medicines in Africa, its roots are dug up and used against asthmas, malaria, flu, inflammation, and much more. Several scientific research papers did indeed found bioactive chemical compounds that showed anti-asthma and anti-malarial potential in studies; the papers called for commercial development of the plant. And yet, it’s on the brink of extinction al over Sub-Saharan Africa and is included in the Red Books in many countries at very high risk of extinction due to its unsustainable harvesting and exploitation. Perhaps we just got super lucky to see it in Burkina Faso.
