Perennial aromatic herb 60-100 cm tall with short stem and tufted leaves. At base of stem a primary oval tuber branching to produce many rhizomes, with distinctive smell and taste, brownish and scaly on the surface and bright orange inside. Leaves uniformly green, tufted 30-50 cm x 7-8 cm, blades lanceolate acuminate, papery; inflorescence a scape, 10-15 x 5-7 cm, enclosed by leaf sheaths; flowers 5 cm long, white, thin, translucent; fruits are not produced.

Small tree, up to 8 m tall with shorttrunk up to 20 cm in diameter with long spreading branches; leaves short-petiolate, spatulate, fasciculate, 5-20 cm long; flowers bell-shaped, born on the trunk in clusters, 5-6 cm long, greenish- white to greenish-yellowish with purple markings, foul smelling; fruit globose to ellipsoid, smooth, shiny, 10-30 cm in diameter, with hard shell.

Tree or shrub, at least 5 m in height, branches erect, square.  Leaves single, opposite, pubescent, ovate to elliptic, 6 to 20 cm in length, margin entire.  Panicles pyramidal, terminal, 10 to 40 cm in length; flowers blue or purple, numerous, 10 to 12 cm in length.  Drupe bluish to black, spherical, 3 to 6 mm in diameter.