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Butterfly Ginger
Hedychium coronarium · Zingiberaceae
How it looks
Hedychium (Butterfly Ginger) is a plant whose long, broad, sword-shaped dark-green leaves wrap around the stem, with fragrant white butterfly-shaped flowers gathered at the branch tips. The scent is very strong; height 3-7 ft (1-2 m), common in tropical gardens.
Butterfly Ginger is listed as non-toxic to cats by the ASPCA. An occasional nibble is unlikely to cause any real trouble.
Guide for parents
What your cat can reach is the lower leaves and stems, plus whatever has fallen to the ground. If it is standing outside in the yard, take a look at whether the space underneath is a path your cat uses often.
Fallen leaves keep piling up if left alone, so clear the side where your cat spends time now and then. If you have brought it indoors in a pot, the rim of the pot — or the tips of any trailing stems — becomes that spot instead.
Details
- Scientific name
- Hedychium coronarium
- Common name
- Butterfly Ginger
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
- Source
- ASPCA cats plant list
Related plants
Same plant family· Zingiberaceae
Other safe flowers
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