Kaempferia marginata's butterfly flowers

I have been cultivating Kaempferia marginata for quite some years now, and although it blooms reliably during summer, two flowers appearing at once is not at all the norm. Today one of my plants did just that.

This ginger is widely distributed from India to Yunnan, and Myanmar to Thailand (where it is used as a vegetable), and is said to grow on scrubby forests and grasslands. The species has naturalized on Hawaii. A striking feature is the pair of orbicular, wavy-margined leaves that lay flat on the ground. The leaves may be entirely purple or green with purple markings, and even plain green. The flowers are tinged with purple, although pure white ones are known too- like in my plants. To me, these blossoms are like butterflies resting on the foliage, and in shape reminds me of Hedychium coronarium, although with no discernible scent. These flowers are short-lived, and last only until late morning. No worries though as these plants bloom practically everyday when actively growing.

Below is my largest plant, which failed to grow naturally flat as the two growths grew too close to one another.

A few days ago I dug and went to see if I can separate the two growths apart, but it was clear that it cannot be done without incurring too much mechanical damage on the leaf sheaths. So I'm letting it be, despite the funny look where the older leaf appears to hoist an emerald drapery into the sun.

An easy plant to cultivate, K. marginata loses its leaves and becomes dormant at the onset of winter, to revive again by late spring or early summer the following year. When kept in too shady conditions, the leaves elongate and pine for light. My plants get dappled morning sun then filtered light for the rest of the day. Because the foliage lies very flat on the ground, the leaves tend to hug the pot edges too tightly and the plants then lose its natural aspect. Perhaps in the near future I will move some of these gingers in a large container made for dish gardens where their leaves can behave much more naturally.