though the latter alone is employed. It is eaten in the green 
state, and is perfectly harmless. The taste resembles that of the 
common Ovalis Acetosella. A peculiarity of its growth is, that 
it has no seed, nor does it propagate from suckers: but the 
flower-head, after shooting out its flowers, and by its weight 
bending the long stem to the ground, gradually withers, while a 
new plant arises from its base, and obtains nourishment from it, 
while forcing its roots into the soil, which is the light volcanic 
loam which is sent with it. The climate is dry heat from No- 
vember to March, and rains more or less frequent during the 
other months, with almost constant heat. It is avery free grower 
in Africa, and therefore easily obtainable in any quantity, if found 
to be so valuable as it would seem for medicinal purposes. 
As far as I have the opportunity of trying it, it has been uni- 
formly successful in relieving nausea. The leaves are dark glossy- 
green, the flower-head also; and the flowers are white, and | 
yellow towards the mouth,—altogether a handsome plant.— 
J. H. Selwyn.” 
It was easy to see, from the habit and foliage of the plant, that 
the plant belonged to the Scitamineous family, and the opinion 
was confirmed by a pencil-sketch of the flowering plant sent by 
Captain Selwyn. It produced its flowers in the stove in the 
month of September, and proves to be a Costus, and the Costus 
Afer of Ker in ‘Botanical Register,’ tab. 683; though that 
figure is evidently made from a very imperfect specimen, which 
gives no idea of the beauty of the blossom, which is large and 
white, and, as Captain Selwyn says, really handsome. 
We have had no means of proving its remedial qualities ; 
should it indeed possess them, they are probably rather attri- 
butable to the aromatic and stomachic properties which prevail 
in the Order, than to the acid. The roots of Costi are bitter, 
and have had a great reputation as tonics, but are now out of 
use; and Dr. Lindley says the Costi of Brazil have a subacid, 
mucilaginous juice, which is used in some disorders, and held in 
very great repute by the natives; but we are not aware that the 
property attributed to the present species is at all known to the 
faculty. We shall be happy if any one who has the inclination 
and opportunity will test the fact. The plant flowers readily in 
the autumn, and then the herbaceous stems die down till the fol- 
lowing spring. 
Descr. Stems clustered, two feet and more high, erect, simple, 
sheathed the whole length with the long vaginant petioles. 
Leaves almost a span long, ovato-elliptical, narrowly acuminate, 
costate, striated with a few slender nerves almost parallel with 
the midrib, the surface is often slightly transversely undulated : 
petiole short till it becomes the cylindrical sheath, and that is 
surmounted by a blunt ocrea. The apex of the stem has a crown 
