2888 



Leaflet? of Philippine Botany 



[Vor,. VIII, Art. 116 



At nearly all times of the year it can be found in flower 

 and fruit. The marcescent scales or sheaths on the bran- 

 ches of the inflorescence or infrutescence is characteristic. 

 The small flowers are white or nearly so and the color of 

 the mature fruit is of a very pleasing goose berry red. 



Alpinia apoensis Elm. n. sp. 



Low terrestrial and perennial herbs, forming more or 

 less pj)tches; rhizomes crookedly branched, rigid, less than 

 1 cm thick; stems terete, 5 to 8 mm thick, green except 

 the brownish sheaths toward the base, 3 to 5 dm high. 

 Leaves submembranous, horizontal or slightly ascending, 

 dull green above, a trifle paler beneath, flat except the ' 

 strongly recurved sharply acuminate tips, edges wavy, al- 

 ternatingly scattered every 3 to 5 cm, curing unequally 

 dull brjwn on the two sides, base rounded, oblong or ovate- 

 ly oblong, the largest ones 15 cm long by 5 cm wide 

 across the middle, most of them only 10 cm long and 3 

 cm wide, the terminal blade reduced, pulverulent on both 

 sides, pubescent along the midrib; petiole 5 mm long, 

 canieulate along the upper side, puberulent or yellowish 

 pubescent especially beneath; sheaths overlapping, well sep- 

 arated toward the top and striate, puberulent except the 

 lower smooth portion, edges thinner but not hairy; ligule 

 5 mm long, erect, fully as broad, notched, puberulent and 

 only sparsely ciliate around the apex. Flowers unknown. 

 Infrutescence 4 to 7 cm long, the pedunculate basal one 

 third dark green, dirty short pubescent, terminal, the ra- 

 chis portion ascendingly curved, spicate or the more rank 

 ones few and short rebranched toward the base, rigid; ped- 

 icels rather numerous, alternating, ascendingly curved, 3 

 mm long or less, dirty puberulent, ebraeteolate, thickened 

 at the distal end; fruits bright green, then light yellow, 

 ultimately dull red, 7 5 mm long, smooth and glabrous, 

 ovoid when fresh, rather obovoid in the dry state. 



Type specimen number 11889, A. D. E. Elmer, Todaya 

 ;\It. Apo), District of Davao, Mindanao, September, 1909. 



Collected this rare unique Alpinm in moist rich humus 

 •oveved soil on a steep forested slope at 4000 feet alti- 



