Tab. 8651. 

 ALPINIA Elwesii. 



Formosa. 



Scitamineae. Tribe Zingibereab. 

 Alpinia, Linn. ; Benth. et HooTc. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 648. 



Alpinia Elwesii, Turrill ; species nova A. calcaratae, Eoscoe, affinis seel 

 foliis subtus dense puberulis, ligula breviore dorso puberula, inflorescentia 

 racemosa fere spicata, petalis distinctis ciliatis praecipue differt. 



Herba perennis, usque ad 1*5 m. alta. Folia alte vaginata, vaginis extra 

 superne puberulis longitudinaliter striatis, lineari-lanceolata, apice 

 attenuato-acuminata, caudata, basi angustata, circiter 4*5 dm. longa et 

 5 "5 cm. lata, pagina superiore glabra, inferiore dense puberula; ligula 

 bifida, 4 mm. longa, dorso puberula. Inflorescentiae racemosae, 12 cm. 

 longae, rhachide tomentosa, pedicellis circiter 1 mm. longia tomentosis ; 

 bracteae norales obovatae, apice rotundatae, 1 ■ 2 cm. longae, 7 mm. latae, 

 dorso pubescentes, ciliatae. Calyx 1 cm. longus, saepissime breviter 

 bilobus, uuilateraliter fissus, extra dense pubescens, ciliatus, intus glaber. 

 Corolla alba, tubo 1 cm. longo 4 mm. diametro glabro, lobis lateralibua 

 elliptico-lanceolatis subacutis 1*8 cm. longis 7 mm. latis marginibus 

 ciliatis exceptis glabris, lobo postico elliptico-obovato 1 ■ 8 cm. longo 1 ■ 3 cm. 

 lato margine ciliato. Labellum ovatum, 2*2 cm. longum, 1*6-1 '7 cm. 

 latum, apice emarginatum, albo-carmineum. Stamen 1*7 cm. longum, 

 filamento 7 mm. longo, 2 mm. lato. Staminodia lateralia 2, brevissima, 

 basi labello adnata. Nectarii glandula cylindrico-ventricosa, 2' 5 mm. 

 longa, dorso longitudinaliter fissa. Stylus 3 cm. longus, superne leviter 

 pubescens. Ovarium ovoideo-orbiculare, 3 mm. altum, 2-5 mm. diametro, 

 dense tomentosum. — W. B. Turrill. 



The handsome Alpinia here figured is a native of 

 Formosa, where it was obtained by Mr. H. J. Elwes, in 

 whose honour in has been named. The material for our 

 illustration has been derived from a plant which flowered 

 in his collection at Colesborne. Cheltenham, in April, 1915. 

 This plant agrees in all respects with one presented to 

 Kew by Mr. Elwes in 1912, with a note describing it as a 

 very handsome form found growing in shady forest in 

 Honsha, Formosa, at an elevation of 1,200 feet, where 

 the temperature in winter does not fall below 50° F. 

 The Kew plant has grown well in a border in the Mexican 

 house, and has formed stems four feet high with leaves 

 eighteen inches long, but has not yet flowered. A very 

 distinctive character of A. Elwesii is the densely pube- 



March, 1916. 



