Tab. 7592. 



amomum hbhisph^ricum. 



Native of Java. 



Nat. Ord. Scitamine^j. — Tribe ZingiberevE. 

 Genus Amomdm, Linn.; (Benth. & Hook.f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 644.) 



Amomttm (Nicolaia) hemisphsericum; caulibus csespitosis, foliiferis elatis, 

 foliis oblongo-lanceolatis glabris supra vaginam breviter petiolatis apice 

 cuspidatis basi inaequaliter rotundatis facie viridibus dorao rubro-branneis, 

 ligula magna quadrata, pedunculo foliis rudiraentariis oblongis adpressis 

 viridibus vaginato, floribus in capitulum densurn aggregatis, bracteis 

 extei-ioribus magnis vacuis ovatis obtusis rubro-brunneo tinctis, interiori- 

 bus linearibus viridibus fioresequilongis, calycis et corolla? lobis lanceolatis 

 viridibus, labello lingulato emarginato petalis paulo longiore medio 

 rubro-brunneo margine lnteo, antherae ecristatas loculis discretis ciliatis, 

 stigmate magno capitate 



Elettaria hemisphaerica, Blume Enum. PL Jav. p. 51; Miquel Fl. Ind. Bat. 

 vol. iii. p. 600. 



Nicolaia hemisphaerica, Horan. Prodr. Monog. Scit. p. 32. 



Alpinia hemispherica, D. Dietr. Sj/n. PL vol. i. p. 13. 



This plant is entirely new to cultivation in this country. 

 Nicolaia was constituted as a genus, and named in honour 

 of the late Emperor Nicholas of Russia, by Horaninow, 

 who wrote a monograph of the Scitaminese at St. Peters- 

 burgh in 1862. The only other species known in cultivation 

 is the Mauritian A. imperialis, Horan., which is figured in 

 the Botanical Magazine, under the name of Alpinia? 

 magnified on plate 3192. This is the finest of all the 

 Scitaminese, for the floral effect of the present plant is 

 not nearly so decorative. 



Roots of A. hemisphserica were received at the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew, in 1893, from Mr. H. N. Ridley, M.A., 

 Director of the Botanic Garden and Forest Department 

 of the Straits Settlements, and flowered for the first time 

 in the Tropical Water-lily House in June, 1897. As we 

 possess no wild specimens in the Kew Herbarium, and 

 the plant has not been figured before, we rely upon Mr. 

 Ridley for the correctness of the name. 



Descr. — Stems densely tufted. Leafy stem erect, ten or 

 Mat 1st, 1898. 



