[3] The genus was erected by the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh in 1810, and published in the journal Asiatic Researches.

[3][6] These herbs lack true stems, but have pseudostems usually up to about 3 metres (9.8 ft) long which are composed of the overlapping leaf sheaths.

There is one fertile stamen and two staminodes, which are often joined into a petal-like labellum, a structure that is inconspicuous in some species and quite showy in others.

[8] This is the largest genus in the ginger family,[7] with 248 species and 2 hybrids accepted by Plants of the World Online as of 27 June 2024[update].

[7] According to a research team of National Chung Hsing University, Alpinia was found to have anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, anti-tumor and other effects.