Flora Medica

ZINGIBERACE^;.Leaves sessile, broad-lanceolate, acuminate, smooth ; sheaths witha long slit ligula. Spike compact, ovate, obtuse. Bracts obovate,rounded, smooth, membranous at edge. Middle lobe of the labellumemarginate, yellow. Blume. Rhizomata tuberous, flexuose, with anagreeable smell resembling that of ginger, and a hot bitter aromaticflavour. Not now used (Radices Zerumbethi Offic.). N.B. Accordingto Blume the Lampujum of Rumph. v. t. 64. f. 1. cited to this by Roxburgh,really belongs to a different species which he calls Z. amaricans(enum. 43).1 184. Z. Cassumunar Roxb. in As. research, xi. 34-7. t. 7. Fl.Ind. i. 49. Bot. Mag.t. 1426. N. and E. handb. i. 240. PI.med. t. 63. (Rumph. v. t. 65. f. 2.) East Indies ; Coromandel,Bengal, Bahar, western provinces of Java.Rhizoma tuberous, jointed like ginger, but much larger, with longwhite fleshy fibres jwhen fresh deep yellow ; possessing a strong notvery agreeable camphoraceous smell and warm spicy bitterish taste.Roxb. Leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, downy on the underside upon the midrib; sheaths with a short retuse rounded ligula.Spikes elevated, oblong, acute. Bracts wedge-shaped, oblong-acuminate,somewhat strigose, coloured. Labellum 3-lobed. Blume. Once ingreat repute as a medicine of uncommon efficacy inand paralyticdisorders ;but now out of use.CURCUMA.hysteric, epileptic,Tube of the corolla gradually enlarged upwards limb ; 2-lipped,each 3-parted. Filament broad. Anther incumbent, with 2 spursat the base. Style capillary. Capsule 3-celled. Seeds numerous,arillate. Stemless plants, with palmate tuberous roots.Leaves with sheathing petioles, bifarious, herbaceous. Scapesimple, lateral or central. Spike simple, erect, comose, somewhatimbricated at the base with bracts or saccate spathes.Flowers dull yellow, 35 together, surrounded by bracteolae.Blume.1185. C. Zerumbet Roxb. Fl. Ind. i. 20. N. and E. i. 242.fl. med. t. 60. Blume enum. i. 46. (Rumph.v. t. 68. Rheedexi. t. 7.) East Indies ; Chittagong ; western side of Java.Tubers palmate or ovate, inwardly pale yellow, with an agreeablecamphoraceous smell, and warm, bitterish, spicy taste. Stems theunited sheaths of the leaves, surrounded by 2 or 3, obtuse, smooth,green, faintly striated appressed scales. Height of the plant about 3feet, or 3J. Leaves from 4 to 6 together, sub-bifarious, with a prettylong, somewhat winged petiole, broad, lanceolate, acuminate, smoothon both sides ; constantly a dark purple cloud runs down the centre.Scape from 5 to 6 inches long, surrounded with a few, obtuse, lax,green sheaths of various lengths. Spike comose, from 4 to 5 incheslong (so that its apex is elevated nearly a foot above the surface of theearth), covered with imbricated, oblong, concave bracts, connected bythe lower half of their inner margins to the backs of those immediatelyabove, forming as many sacks or pouches, as there are bracts half;ofthese generally sterile, and of a deeper crimson or purple colour, than560