Tas. 4603. 
AMOMUM Granum Piste 
Grains of Paradise Amomum ; or Mellegetta Pepper. 
Nat. Ord. ZinerBERACEm.—MonaNnpDRIA Monoeynia. 
Gen. Char. Calyx tubulosus, apice trifidus. Corolle tubus brevis, limbi lacinize 
exteriores laterales postica angustiores; interiores laterales nulle; Jadellum 
maximum, explanatum. Filamentum complanatum, lateribus apiceque ultra 
antheram muticam productum, lobulis duobus auctum, lobo terminali bifido. 
Ovarium inferum, triloculare. Ovula in loculorum angulo centrali plurima, 
horizontalia, anatropa. Stylus filiformis, inter anthere loculos receptus; stigma 
infundibuliforme. Capsula seepius baccata, trilocularis, loculicido-trivalvis. Se- 
mina plurima, arillata.—Herbee inter tropicos veteris orbis indigene, species Ameri- 
cane dubie ; radicibus articulatis, repentibus, foliis bifariis, membranaceis, vaginis 
Jissis, inflorescentia radicali, spicata, laxe imbricata, Endl. 
AmomuM Granum Paradisi; caulibus elongatis, foliis elliptico-lanceolatis tenuiter 
acuminatis rubro-marginatis, scapis brevissimis radicalibus bracteatis sub- 
trifloris, corollze labello amplo rotundato plicato-undulato. 
Amomum Grana Paradisi. Linn. Sp. Pl.v.1.p.2? Pereira, Elem. of Mat. Med. 
v. 2. p. 1130. fig. 234 (capsules). 
Amomvo grandiflorum. Sm. Exot. Flora, v. 1. #111. 
Amomum exscapum. Sims, in Ann. of Bot. v. 1. p, 248, t, 13. 
Amomum Afzelii. Roscoe, in Linn. Trans. v. 8. p. 854. 
Whether or not this be what is intended as the Amomum 
Grana Paradisi of Linneus (‘scapo brevissimo ramoso ’’) will 
perhaps for ever be a doubtful question. But of this we are 
certain, that our plants in the Royal Gardens, here figured, were 
raised from seeds of capsules sent to us as Malagetta Pepper or 
Grains of Paradise, from Sierra Leone, by Mr. Young; and that 
these capsules correspond exactly with those figured in Dr. 
Pereira’s admirable ‘Elements of Materia Medica and Thera- 
peutics,’ vol. ii. p. 1180. £. 234, as “ dAmomum Granum Paradisi 
of Afzelius’ Remed. Guineensis, vol. x. n. 1,” and as 4. Grana- 
Paradisi, Smith, in Rees. Cycl. vol. xxviii. art. Melegetia, as an in- 
habitant of the Guinea coast about Sierra Leone, we have not 
the smallest doubt. Equally certain it is, so far as can be judged 
from figures, that it is the 4. grandiflorum of Smith in ‘ Exotic 
SEPTEMBER IsT, 1851. 
