Turmeric or Curcuma Longa is a member of the ginger family and is a handsome perennial with large lily-like leaves and clusters of flowers in spikes. A robust perennial grows to a height of 1 m ( 3 ft), and turmeric is usually propagated from ‘figures’ or small sections of rhizomes from the previous year’s growth , Turmeric is most often sole dried and ground.