Flora Medica

petioles slender and channelled. Spike radical, from 4 to 6 inches long,separate from the leaves, crowned with a lively purple coma. Bractsovate-cordate, obtuse. Flowers large, longer than their bracts, brightyellow, expanding at sunrise, and decaying at sunset of the same day.Tube of corolla somewhat gibbous, contracted at the mouth, and thereshut in with short hairs: throat campanulate; exterior border paleyellow, consisting of one large, vaulted, upper segment, and two lower,oblong, smaller, concave ones ; inner border 3-parted: the lip roundish,emarginate, or bifid, upper segments obovate, cuneate, with the filamentbetween them. Tubers produce excellent Arrow Root, sold in themarkets of Benares, and eaten by the natives.1191. C. Amada Roxb.fi.ind. i. 33. Bengal.Tubers horizontal, palmate, sessile, united to the sides of an ovateconicbud of the same colour, which gives rise to the leaves and spike ;from its sides and base long fleshy fibres issue, which penetrate deepinto the soil : some of them ending in oblong, paler (pendulous) tubers.Leaves radical, bifarious, petioled above their sheaths, lanceolate,cuspidate, smooth on both sides ;from 6 to 18 inches long, by 3 to 6broad. Scape central, about 6 inches long, invested by several alternatesheaths. Spike shorter than the scape, cylindrical, with a loose,coloured, pale rose coma. Bracts oblong, imbricated, the lower half oftheir margins united to the backs of the two next above, forming apouch for a fascicle of 4> or 5, rather small, yellow flowers, which expandin succession. Calyx superior, unequally 3-toothed. Corolla with aslender tube ; its mouth shut with 3 yellow hairy glands ;faux subcampanulate.Border double, each 3-cleft. Called by the Bengalees," Amada," or Mango ginger, the fresh root possessing the peculiar smellof a fresh Mango.K^EMPFERIA.Tube of corolla long, filiform ;limb somewhat 2-lipped, eachlip 3-parted. Filament short, expanded above the anther into abifid crest. Capsule 3-celled, many-seeded. Plants with thehabit of Curcuma ; bracts often imbricated in 2 rows, rarelysaccate. Blume.1192. K. Galanga Linn. sp. pi. 3. Roxb.fi. ind. i. 15.Alpinia sessilis Konig in Retz. obs. iii. 62. (Humph,v. t. 69.2.) f. Common in India both on the continent and islands.Rhizoma biennial, tuberous, with fleshy fibres from the tubers. Stemnone. Leaves stalked, spreading flat on the surface of the earth, roundovate-cordate,between acute and obtuse j margins membranaceous,and waved ;upper surface smooth, deep green ; taper and somewhatwoolly towards the base; streaked lengthways with 10 or 12 slenderlines. Flowers collected in small fascicles, from 6 to 12 within thesheaths of the leaves, expanding in succession ; pure, pellucid white,except a purple spot on the centre of each of the divisions of the innerseries. Bracts 3 to each flower, 1 larger and exterior, 2 interiorand lateral all ; linear, acute, membranous, and half the lengthof the tube of the corolla. Calyx the length of the bracts. Tube ofcorolla long, filiform ;limb double, both series 3-parted ; exterior divisionsall linear, acute ;of the interior, the upper two ovate, erect, the563 o o 2