A Comparison of Myoga Ginger Cultivars (Updated October 2023)

The following are my comparative observations of the various myoga ginger (Zingiber mioga) cultivars currently available in the United States.

Clones currently found in the United States:

'Japanese Cream' - This was long circulated without a cultivar name, being simply sold and traded as myoga.  This appears to be the old (mostly) sterile pentaploid Japanese form of myoga ginger.  At my nursery I designate this plant as 'Japanese Cream' due to the cream color of it's flowers and to distinguish it from the other cultivars which are now available.  Since it seems to be one of the most widely circulated clones in the United States I will use it as a reference point when comparing the others.

'Crûg's Zing' buds developing

'Crûg's Zing'- This is a clonally propagated selection which was brought back from Je-ju Island in South Korea.  In this region the Zingiber mioga population is tetraploid and fertile which means that they reproduce both by seed and clonally.  While we only have a single clone it appears to be of standard appearance for the genotype; robust plants with lots of pigment in the buds and flowers with a pink blush unique to Korean specimens.  In the event that seedlings are grown from the result of self-pollination they should simply be considered to be of the South Korean type and not specifically the named clone 'Crûg's Zing'.  Realistically, this should probably be identified as a distinct subspecies since it is visibly distinct and genetically segregated from wild diploid populations found in China.

Compared to 'Japanese Cream' this clone seems about equal in terms of below ground rhizome spread, but larger leaves and taller shoots above ground.  I have also observed that it produces most of its edible buds a little later in the season than when most of the buds are produced on 'Japanese Cream'.

CDHM 14723 - One of two wild accessions introduced by Far Reaches Farm; this one from Southern China.  Chinese forms are fertile diploids.  Note, while this is a fertile form and capable of reproducing from seed, the original clone brought back is distributed with an accession number rather than a cultivar name.  If seedlings are grown from it they should not be referred to under the same accession number as they would no longer be the same clone originally introduced.  Overall this plant seems more compact than 'Japanese Cream' with a shorter height and tighter node spacing on the rhizomes making them slower to expand as a clump.  The edible buds are also mostly produced a little later than on 'Japanese Cream' are seem a little less plump.

MD10-77 - One of two wild accessions introduced by Far Reaches Farm; this one from (China? - their reference lists it as from "Asia", but it appears to be of the Chinese type).  Chinese forms are fertile diploids.  Note, while this is a fertile form and capable of reproducing from seed, the original clone brought back is distributed with an accession number rather than a cultivar name.  If seedlings are grown from it they should not be referred to under the same accession number as they would no longer be the same clone originally introduced.  Overall this plant seems more compact than 'Japanese Cream' with a shorter height and tighter node spacing on the rhizomes making them slower to expand as a clump.  The edible buds are also mostly produced a little later than on 'Japanese Cream' are seem a little less plump.

'Silver Arrow' bud and foliage

'Silver Arrow' - A variegated clone which appears similar in growth habit to the Japanese form, but in addition to randomly streaked foliage (pale green to white and deep green), it differs in its bud color from 'Japanese Cream'.  For as light as the foliage is overall, the buds seem to be the most darkly pigmented of the various myoga clones I grow; sort of similar to a maroon color, but as if someone stirred in a touch of dark green to the maroon.

'Dancing Crane' - A variegated clone with jagged margined white patch in the center of each leaf.  It appears to have come from Japan as I find pictures and references to it in Japanese, but not in Chinese or Korean.  However, it is curiously more visually similar to the Chinese forms in its growth habit with very compact rhizomes and less height in the shoots.

'White Feather' - A variegated clone which appears most likely to be a sport of the pentaploid Japanese form.  This selection has a white margin around the perimeter of each leaf.  I do not grow this clone so have not fully evaluated it, but from what I have seen of it I do believe that like 'Silver Arrow' it would be challenging to distinguish it from 'Japanese Cream' if it were to revert to plain green. 

Note: My comparative observations are based on growing myoga selections in my USDA zone 8a garden in Western Washington.  The clones are spread through my garden they are not all growing in identical conditions.  If in time it becomes apparent that any observed differences were due to unequal growing conditions rather than due to the genetic potential of a given clone I will update descriptions accordingly.

Note: The Korean and Chinese selections seem to have foliage with a greater level of cold tolerance as they seem to remain green later into the cold season and sometimes seem to endure multiple frosts before dying down for the winter.  That said, I have not observed any notable difference in root hardiness.  All of them seem to be completely hardy in ground here, but can be turned to mush if left in small pots without protection over winter as this allows the roots to repeatedly freeze and thaw leading to much cell damage.

Useful terms when searching for information on myoga ginger:

茗荷 (sounds like "myo-guh") - Chinese characters for myoga ginger, but also frequently used in Japanese references 

ミョウガ (sounds like "myo-guh") - Japanese word for myoga ginger

양하 (sounds like "yahng-hah") - Korean word for myoga ginger. 

꽃양하 (sounds like "GGON-yahng-hah") - Korean for flower myoga; referring to the edible buds from which the flowers would later emerge if unharvested.

斑入り(sounds like "fHuii-rhee") - Japanese (also Chinese if you remove the third character) term for "variegated".  This is most often used in reference to all of the variegated myoga ginger clones interchangeably. 

散斑 (sounds like "bah-rhah-fu" - roll the "r") - Chinese characters meaning "scattered spots", but used in Japan to reference the variegated form with a randomly alternating variegated streaks on each leaf ('Silver Arrow').  Most often these plants are referred to simply as variegated, but occasionally this term is used to differentiate between variegated clones.  That said it does not appear to be applied as an actual cultivar name.

中斑 (sounds like "na-ka-fu") - Chinese characters meaning "center spot", but used in Japan to reference the variegated form with a white marking in the center of each leaf ('Dancing Crane').  Most often these plants are referred to simply as variegated, but occasionally this term is used to differentiate between variegated clones.  That said it does not appear to be applied as an actual cultivar name. 

みょうがたけ (sounds like "myo-guh-tah-kae") - Japanese for myoga bamboo; referring to the edible spring shoots before the leaves unfurl as these can be reminiscent of a long skinny bamboo shoot.

ミョウガタケ (sounds like "myo-guh-tah-kae") - Japanese for myoga bamboo; referring to the edible spring shoots before the leaves unfurl as these can be reminiscent of a long skinny bamboo shoot.

花茗荷 (sounds like "hah-nah-myo-guh") - Japanese for flower myoga; typically referring to the bud which contains the flowers which is the part harvested as a vegetable.

花みょうが (sounds like "hah-nah-myo-guh") - Japanese for flower myoga; typically referring to the bud which contains the flowers which is the part harvested as a vegetable.

ミョウガの花 (sounds like "myo-guh-no-hah-nah") - Japanese for flower of myoga ginger; often referring to the actual flower rather than the edible bud.

Don't forget to book-mark this page and check back for observation updates in coming years.