• * 
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and has a bilabiated appearance ; the lip is ohtufely tnfid, of a red* 
difh purple colour, and marked with many yellowiih dots : but what 
feems like the upper lip is the ftamen, or filament, which is convet 
outwardly, concave within, and gradually tapers from its bafe to its 
apex, where it is coloured like the nedary. The anthers are two 
oblong, whitifh, and lodged together in the cavity of the ftamen : 
the ftyle. is long and filiform : the ftigma obtufe and villous : the 
Capfule is three-celled, and contains many feeds. ^ * 
The Ginger plant is a native of the Eaft-Indies, 'and is faid to 
grow in the greatefl perfedion on the coall of Malabar and Bengal;'' 
but it is now plentifully cultivated in the warmer parts of America, J 
^nd in the Well-India illands, from whence chiefly it is imported 
into Europe. In 1 73 1 , it was firfl introduced into this country 
Mr. P. Miller, " and is ftill carefully cultivated in the dry iloves of 
the curious. The flowers have a fweet fragrant fmell, and the leaves 
and ftalks, efpecially when bruifed, alfo emit a faint fpicy odour, but 
the hot acrid aromatic tafl:e is entirely confined to the root. 
" In Jamaica, Ginger attains its full height, and flowers about 
Auguil or September, and fades about the clofe of the year. When 
the ftalks are entirely withered, the roots are in a proper ftate for 
til 
f 
ing : this is generally performed in .the m9nths of January and 
February. After being dug, they are picked, cleanfed, and gradually 
feethed, or fcalded in boiling water ; they are then fpread out, and 
fexpofed every day to the fun, till fufliciently dried ; and affer being 
divided into parcels of about loolb, weight each, they are packed 
h ^ " * _ 
L 
J 
^ The following obfervation, ma(3e by Rumphius, feems however to deferve feme 
Itotlce : Quondam omne Zingiber petebatur ex ilia Africa parte, qu^ mari rubro adjacet 
tarn intra quam extra lUud, turn Arabia Trogloditica difta, cujus incolse hodie ab 
Arabibus vocantur Zm^i feu Zangi h. e. nigri feu adufti ^thiopes, unde & nomen 
Zino'iber feu Zinp*ibel ortum dnvlf. nr fi rlifrprf^t-nr raA'mf^c *^^ JEithioDiz atque hir'" '''^ 
\ 
Dlofcorid. lib. 2. cap 
Jimp 
«bi dicit Zingiber deferfi ex Barbaria, per quam vocem intelligenda eft orientalis Africse 
pla 
Amboin. vol. 
■'■'Hf 
5> P- ^57- ^'Rumph. I.e. J India. Oriental ^ 
Hifpanos ac praefertim per Francifcum de Mendofa, filium imperatoris Anthonii de 
Mendofa cum aliis aromaticis herbis in novam Hifnaniam AeAuf\um eff. tejle Monarh 
^ftmp. Medic ^ cap 
Rumphius, 1. c. 
o 
G 
Jac(iuiH fays, « Sylveftrem i 
o 
Upon the death of Mendofa, 
Ginger is faid by fome to grow 
> 
**u 
Alton's Hort, Kewen 
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y 
t- 
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isx 
J'>. 
I 
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