Scientific Name: Hedychium gardnerianum
Common name: Ginger Lily
Local name: Tiew La-lyngngi Pepshad
Family: Zingiberaceae
Tiew La-lyngngi Pepshad: A folk tale of a flower named after the maiden “La Lyngngi” who missed the ball whereas Tiew means ‘flower’. According to a legend, there once was a feast where all the maidens from the village nearly were called to the ball to dance and the beautiful La-lyngngi was also invited. In excitement, she incessantly groomed herself, losing track of time. When she reached the ball draped with an exquisite Dhara and Ryndia (traditional Khasi attire) deck with gold ornaments, everyone at the ball started chuckling and laughing. All the beautiful maidens were resting no longer dancing. The ball was already over. The mockery and embarrassment were too great for her to bear. She ran towards the cliff and committed suicide. Since then, a bright yellow flower resembling her bloomed in the valley where La-lyngngi chose her final resting place and still blooms today all around the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.
To this day, Khasis still believe that one should avoid planting the flower Tiew La-lyngngi pepshad anywhere near our homes as it tends to leave the inhabitants lazy, idle and slothful.