Zingiberaceae
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
- Genus
- Zingiber
Pets and kids
- CatsSafe
- DogsSafe
- KidsSafe
Why
Cats: Safe
Sources below say it is non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Ginger - VCA Animal Hospitals Veterinary reference
Dogs: Safe
Sources below say it is non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Ginger - VCA Animal Hospitals Veterinary reference
Kids: Safe
Sources below say it is non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Zingiber officinale - North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
- Ginger, Zingiber officinale - Wisconsin Horticulture University or extension
Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free
Is Ginger safe for cats, dogs and kids?
Is Ginger safe for cats?
Our sources call Ginger non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Ginger - VCA Animal Hospitals Veterinary reference
Is Ginger safe for dogs?
Our sources call Ginger non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Ginger - VCA Animal Hospitals Veterinary reference
Is Ginger safe for kids?
Our sources call Ginger non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.
- Zingiber officinale - North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension
- Ginger, Zingiber officinale - Wisconsin Horticulture University or extension
Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.
See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.
Common names
By language (164)
- ace
- Halia
- Afrikaans
- Gemmer
- Akan
- Kakaduro
- Albanian
- Xhenxhefil, Xhenxhefili
- Amharic
- ዝንጅብል
- ami
- Adiyam
- ang
- Gingifer
- Arabic
- زنجبيل, أدراك, الزنجبيل, جذور الزنجبيل, جنزابيل, جنزبيل, عرق حار, عوق حار
- arc
- ܚܡܣܐ, ܐܕܠܬܐ, ܙܢܓܒܝܠ, ܙܢܓܒܝܠܐ, ܙܢܓܝܒܪ
- Armenian
- Կոճապղպեղ
- arz
- جنزبيل
- Assamese
- আদা, কফাৰি, চান্দ্ৰক
- azb
- زنجفیل
- Azerbaijani
- Aptek zəncəfili
- ban
- Jaé, Jingiberis rhizoma
- Bangla
- আদা
- Basque
- Jengibre
- Belarusian
- Імбір, Імбір садовы, Імбір лекавы
- bew
- Jahé
- bi
- Giner
- bik
- Laya
- bjn
- Tipakan
- bo
- བཅའ་ལྒ།
- Bosnian
- Đumbir, Ingver
- Breton
- Jinjebr
- Bulgarian
- Обикновен джинджифил, Джинджифил, Имбер, Имбир, Исиот
- Burmese
- ချင်းပင်, ဂျင်း
- Cantonese
- 薑, Ginger
- Catalan
- Gingebre
- cdo
- Giŏng
- Central Kurdish
- زەنجەفیل
- Chinese
- 姜, 薑, 姜叶, 姜炭, 姜皮, 干姜, 炮姜, 煨姜
- Croatian
- Đumbir
- Czech
- Zázvor, Bílý zázvor, Růžový zázvor, Zázvor bílý, Zázvor lékařský, Zázvor pravý, Zázvor růžový, Zázvor černý
- dag
- Zakariʒeebuli
- Danish
- Ægte Ingefær, Ingefær
- dtp
- Layo
- Dutch
- Gember, ඉඟුරු
- English
- Ginger, Garden ginger, Cooking ginger, Ginger root
- Esperanto
- Zingibro
- Estonian
- Ingver
- ff
- Citta Afo
- Filipino
- Luya, Ginger
- Finnish
- Inkivääri
- fon
- Dotɛ
- French
- Gingembre, Gingembre frais
- frr
- Ingefeer
- Galician
- Sinxebra, Teudo, Xenxibre
- Ganda
- Ennyingo Okuzimba
- Georgian
- Ჯანჯაფილი, Კოჭა
- German
- Ingwer, Ingber
- gor
- Meelito
- Greek
- Πιπερόριζα, Τζίντζερ
- Gujarati
- આદુ
- Haitian Creole
- Jenjanm
- hak
- Kiông
- Hausa
- Citta
- Hebrew
- זנגביל, זנגוויל
- Hindi
- अदरक, अदरख
- hsb
- Lěkarski jumbjer
- Hungarian
- Közönséges gyömbér
- hyw
- Կոճապղպեղ
- iba
- Lia
- Icelandic
- Engifer
- Igbo
- Ginger
- Indonesian
- Jahe
- io
- Jinjero
- Irish
- Planda sinséir, Sinséar
- Italian
- Zenzero, Zenzero Comune
- Japanese
- ショウガ, しょうが, カンキョウ, ショウキョウ, 乾姜, 生姜, 生薑, 薑
- Javanese
- Jaé, Jae, Jahe, Jahé
- Kannada
- ಶುಂಠಿ
- Kazakh
- Зімбір
- kcg
- Shita-a̱byin
- kge
- Lahya
- Khmer
- ខ្ញី
- ki
- Mũrwagatho
- koi
- Имбирь
- Konkani
- Alem vo Suntt
- Korean
- 생강, 새앙, 새양
- ks
- أدرک
- Kurdish
- Zencefîl
- kv
- Имбирь
- lah
- ادرک
- Latvian
- Ingvers
- lez
- Сенжефил
- li
- Geimer
- Lingala
- Ntángawisi
- Lithuanian
- Tikrasis imbieras
- Luxembourgish
- Geimer, Gingembre, Ingwer
- lzh
- 薑
- Macedonian
- Ѓумбир
- mad
- Jhâi
- Maithili
- आदी
- Malagasy
- Sakamalaho
- Malay
- Halia, Pokok halia
- Malayalam
- ഇഞ്ചി ചെടിയുടെ സ്പീഷീസ്, Ginger, ആർദ്രകം, ഇരിക്കേങ്ങ്
- Manipuri
- ꯁꯤꯡ
- Marathi
- आले, आलं
- min
- Sipadeh
- mnc
- ᡶᡠᡵᡤᡳᠰᡠ
- mnw
- လဂဝ်
- nan
- Kiuⁿ, Kiunn, Kiuⁿ-bó, Kiuⁿ-bú
- nds
- Gember
- Nepali
- अदुवा
- nia
- Lahia
- Norwegian Bokmål
- Ingefær
- Norwegian Nynorsk
- Ingefær
- nrm
- Gengivre
- Occitan
- Gengibre
- Odia
- ଅଦା
- os
- Хосгæнæн имбирь
- pam
- Laya
- Pashto
- سونډی
- Persian
- زنجبیل, زنجفیل, شنگویر
- Polish
- Imbir lekarski
- Portuguese
- Gengibre, Mangarataia
- Punjabi
- ਅਦਰਕ
- pwn
- Ljameljam
- Quechua
- Awirinri, Ajirinri
- roa
- Zenzere
- Romanian
- Ghimbir
- Russian
- Имбирь аптечный, Имбирь лекарственный, Имбирь садовый
- Sanskrit
- आर्द्रकम्, शुण्ठी
- sat
- ᱟᱫᱦᱮ
- scn
- Gènciru, Zenzeru
- sco
- Ginge
- Scottish Gaelic
- Dinnsear, Ginger
- Serbian
- Ћумбир
- Serbian (Latin)
- Đumbir
- sgs
- Imbiers
- shn
- ၶိင်
- Sindhi
- ادرڪ
- Sinhala
- ඉඟුරු
- Slovak
- Ďumbier, Zázvor pravý, Ďumbier pravý
- Slovenian
- Pravi ingver, Ingver
- Spanish
- Ajengibre, Canacoros, Cañacoros, Gengibre, Jengibre, Kion, Kión
- Sundanese
- Jahé
- Swahili
- Mtangawizi
- Swedish
- Ingefära
- szy
- Tayu
- Tajik
- Занҷабил
- Tamil
- இஞ்சி, அல்லம், ஆர்த்தரகம், சுக்கு, வேர்க்கம்பு
- tay
- Ulyux
- tcy
- ಶುಂಠಿ
- Telugu
- అల్లం
- Thai
- ขิง, Ginger
- Turkish
- Zencefil
- ty
- Rea tinito
- Ukrainian
- Імбир садовий, Імбер, Імбир
- Urdu
- ادرک
- Uyghur
- زەنجىۋىل
- Uzbek
- Zanjabil
- Vietnamese
- Gừng, Sinh khương
- vls
- Gember, Gembre
- vro
- Ingviir
- war
- Layá
- Welsh
- Sinsir, Sunsur
- Wolof
- Jinjeer
- wuu
- 姜
- xmf
- Ginger
- Yiddish
- אינגבער
- Yoruba
- Ata ilẹ̀
- za
- Hing
Synonyms
- Amomum angustifolium Salisb.
- Amomum zingiber L.
- Curcuma longifolia Wall.
- Zingiber aromaticum Noronha
- Zingiber blancoi Hassk.
- Zingiber confine Miq.
- Zingiber majus Rumph.
- Zingiber officinale f. macrorhizonum (Makino) M.Hiroe
- Zingiber officinale f. rubens (Makino) M.Hiroe
- Zingiber zingiber H.Karst.
Flowers
- In flower
- April, October to November (from 12 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced
Photos
Photo: Venkatx5, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: white_cheeked_barbet, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Dguendel, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Manuëlle, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: ritirene, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: LOKESH KUMAR MEENA, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Margaret Burger, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: José Lefel, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Diogo Luiz, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Zingiber
- Bitter gingerZingiber zerumbetZingiberaceae
- Japanese gingerZingiber miogaZingiberaceae
- Zingiber spectabileZingiberaceae
- Zingiber purpureumZingiberaceae
- Cassumunar gingerZingiber montanumZingiberaceae
- Zingiber ottensiiZingiberaceae
- Zingiber barbatumZingiberaceae
- Zingiber cochleariformeZingiberaceae
- Zingiber guangxienseZingiberaceae
- Zingiber kelabitianumZingiberaceae
- Zingiber lingyunenseZingiberaceae
- Zingiber macradeniaZingiberaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.