CURCUMA ROSCOEANA. Tab. 9. 



SP,ci central, oblonga. tetraffona, coceinea. m.da, bracteis ligulato-porrectis, quadrifariis ; an.hera cristata, loeulis 

 discretis, ecalcaratis ; foliis oblongis, subcordatis. 



Habitat In Pegu et ad oram Tenasserim: floret tempore anni pluvioso. 



PX.NTA 1-3-pedalis surgens e radicc parva, oblonga, tuberculosa, plurima dexnittens tubera ovata vel rotunda, parva, filo gracill 

 su™ f^scescentia int Jlacteo-alba, apice sa,p^ ternunata radicula fibrillosa, vix semipollicaria. Cauus crassus, compressus, 6-8- 

 poraS"cMs, co^positus e va/inis folioru. bifari^ i^bricantibus, alternis, .arginatis, fuscescent.bus, stnat.s, laxe vdlos.s, 

 c p ro;Z^ ore utrinque productis in ligulam breven, obtu.an. Fou^ patula, oblonga. subrepanda bas. m.qua^iter 



ubcordata, glabra, pedalia ad sesquipedalia, .upr^ nitida, unifonniter viridia, oblique undulata, subt(^s glauca, costa e evata crassa. 

 tZTla^le., profundi sulcati, purpurascentes, folia longitudine sub.quantes. Shc. erecta, centrahs fohorun, Insce tert.o bre.or, 

 6-8-polLris, diametro tripollicari, ad apicem baud comosam paulo contracta, basi attenuata m scapum cyhndncum, e vind. lutes- 

 centem,crassiusculu™,omnin5avaginis foliorum involutuxn et occultum ; fulgido-coccinea, va Idfe regulanter tetragona vel pentagona, 

 totidemque exarata sulcis latis, totam longitudincm excurrentibus. Bracte^ sesquipollicares, glabernm^, coceinea, 2-3-flor», basi lata 

 adnata, et leviter decurrentes, sursfim libera;, infundibuliformes, fauce ampia, in lin^bum producta. ligulato-ovatum, obtusum, recurvato- 

 patentem plicatura, dorso convexum, in series 4 vel 5 porrectas, regulares, longitudinales dispositae, summae paulo decrescentes, con- 

 colores, terminales vacuae. Spica junior inaperta, oblongo-ovata, attenuata, acuta, strobiliformis, intensfe coceinea, bracteis lato-ovatis, 

 adpress'is, apice parCirn recurvatis, inibricantibus. Flores flavi, infundibuliformi-clavati, uiajusculi, faucem bractearum totam successive 

 occupantes supraque earn parfim elevati. Tubus cylindricus, dimidi^ inferiore parte obtectus calvce tenuissimo, cylindrico, tridentato, 

 sursfim levittr ampliatus. Corolla duplici serie alternatim sexfida, bilabiata. Lacini^ exteriores ovatse, subacutai ; dorsalis paul5 

 latior, concava, cuuj interioribus lateralibus, subconformibus, ovatis, basi latis in labium superius limbi fornicatum connivens ; labellum 

 sive lacinia antica seriei interioris subrotundum, obtusum, levissimci retusum, patens, sujjra bracteam spicse parilm decurvatum, disco lineis 

 duabus elevatis sulcoque intermedio notatum. Filamentum latiusculum, breve, inter bases subdistantes laciniarum lateralium interiorum 

 insertum. Anthera oblongo-conica, carnosa, infra labium corollse superius nutanti-adscendens, longiuscula, attenuata, crista membra^ 

 'nacea, ciliata, ovata, recurvata terminata, basi lata cum filamento articulata ; loculu 2, antica, omnin6 discreta sulcoque profundo separata, 

 basi obtusa et nuda, supernfe evanescentia. Ovarium parvulum, ovatum, puberulum. Stylus filiforrnis, basi corpusculis luteis brevissimis 

 auctus. Stigma infundibuliforme, pubescens, vix ultra cristam antherse elevatum. Capsula immatura oblongo-clavata, laevis, 3-locularis, 

 seminibus farcta numerosis, arillo magno, candido, profundi fimbriate involutis, fer^ inodoris et insipidis. 



This is an extremely beautiful and splendid plant, and certainly one of the most ornamental of the whole genus. 

 It may at once be distinguished from all the other species by its uniformly scarlet, straight, tetragonal or pentagonal, 

 deeply furrowed, oblong, subacute spike, which is destitute of any coma, and consists of very numerous tongue- 

 shaped spreading bracts disposed in four or five longitudinal, jirotruding series, each forming a large pouch occupied 

 by one flower at a time. The structure of the anther differs from any observed in the other species, and in some 

 degree invalidates the character of the genus as it now stands ; for it is terminated, as is the case in K^mpfcria, by 

 a large oval crest, and its base is perfectly naked ; its cells resemble those of a Habenaria, being completely separated 

 from each other by a deep and broad furrow, and vanishing upwards. The size of the plant varies considerably. 

 In the wild state I have rarely found it beyond one or two feet in height ; but in the botanic garden of Calcutta it 

 even exceeded three feet, with a spike full twelve inches long. The principal root is very small, the tubers very 

 numerous, small, milk-white within, possessing a very faintly aromatic taste. 



Plate IX. Fig. 1 . Spike before expansion. 2. Flower. 3. Tlie same, with the outer limb turned back to show the stamen. 

 4. The same dissected. 5. Stamen much enlarged. 



CURCUMA CORDATA. Tab. 10. 



Radice digitato-palmata, tuberibus plurimis globosis, ex apice filorum subfusiformium pcndulis ; foliis ovato-cor- 

 datis, acuminatis, concoloribus, utrinque sericeo-villosis, petiolos longitudine aiquantibus ; spica centrali, supra vao-inas 

 subsessili, oblongo-cylindrica ; bracteis ovatis, obtusissimis, viUosis, ore amplissimo patentibus, comai lucidis, j)urpureis 

 apice fusco-maculatis. 



Habitat in montibus ripse Irawaddi e regione Prome, florens tempore pluvioso. In horto Calcuttensi floruit 

 Augusto. 



Herba erecto-patens, pedes 2, 3, ad 4 alta. Radix magna, horizontalis, glabra, digitato-palmata, ext,\s pallid^ ferruginea, intis dilute 

 flavicans ; kbi cylmdnci, digitum minimum crassi, nunc ovati. Tubera plurima, subrotunda, pollicaria, alba, inferiore parte fibrillosa, 



