From the CO2Science archive: Zingiber officinale is, officially, ginger. We don’t need to explain what that spice looks like since most everyone knows it’s either a powder or that weird sprawling thing that wouldn’t be out of place in a dark ritual. But you may not know what the actual plant looks like since the ginger you see in stores is the root, either in raw form or powdered and put into a jar. Apparently it was native to Asia but can be adapted to grow pretty much anywhere, especially indoors if you live somewhere chilly, because it likes heat. And it likes CO2. In 2011 there were two experiments showing that an additional 300 ppm caused ginger plants to grow an extra 46.5% on average. So fire up the wok, or get out a gingerbread recipe, and learn to enjoy this versatile spice, since there will be lots more in the years ahead.