ZINGIBERACEAB 109 
MUSA PARADISIACA Linn. var. SUBRUBEA Blanco Fl. Filip. (1837) 245 
(var. nov.) ; ed. 2 (1845) 171; ed. 3, 1 (1877) 307. 
A form of Musa paradisiaca Linn. as that species is currently 
interpreted. See Teodoro in Philip. Journ. Sci. 10 (1915) Bot. 
414, t. 16, f. 1-5, for a detailed description of it. 
MUSA PARADISIACA Linn. var. MAXIMA Blanco FI. Filip. (1837) 245 
(var. nov.) ; ed. 2 (1845) 171; ed. 3, 1 (1877) 308. 
This is very poorly characterized by Blanco as one of the bana- 
nas with very large fruits of poor flavor. The. identification has 
been made largely from the native name. One of the cultivated 
forms of the common banana. 
Illustrative specimen from Bosoboso, Rizal Province, Luzon, 
June, 1915, there known as batavia or matavia (Merrill: Spe- 
ctes Blancoanae No. 920). | 
ZINGIBERACEAE 
Pay CURCUMA Linnaeus 
CURCUMA LONGA Linn.; Blanco Fl. Filip. (1837) 5; ed. 2 (1845) 4; ed. 
8, 1 (1877) 6, t. 3 (as Costus luteus Blanco). 
The Linnean species was correctly interpreted by Blanco. !t 
is widely distributed in the settled areas of the Philippines and 
is locally abundant. Turmeric is commonly and widely known 
in the Philippines as dilao or dulao, this word merely meaning 
yellow, from the fact that the rhizomes yield a yellow dye. The 
plant is certainly not a native of the Philippines, but one of 
prehistoric introduction from Asia or Malaya. 
Illustrative specimen from Antipolo, Rizal Province, Luzon, 
September, 1915, there known as dilao (Merrill: Species Blan- 
coanae No. 917). 
Costus nigricans Blanco FI. Filip. (1837) 3 (sp. nov.) ; ed. 2 (1845) 3; ed. 
3, 1 (1877). 5=CURCUMA ZEDOARIA (Berg.) Rosc. 
This species is widely distributed in the Philippines in the 
settled areas, occurring chiefly in the vicinity of towns. It is 
never cultivated, but nevertheless is certainly a purposely in- 
troduced plant in the Archipelago. It is locally very abundant. 
Costus nigricans Blanco is the whole basis of Roscoea nigro- 
ciliata Hassk. in Flora 47 (1864) 21, Hasskarl’s name thus 
becoming a synonym of Curcuma zedoaria Rosc. 
From this species I have not been able to separate Costus luteus 
Blanco op. cit. 4 (sp. nov.) ; 3; 6, on which Roscoea lutea Hassk. 
in Flora 47 (1864) 21 was based. Blanco’s description is very 
short and imperfect, practically merely stating that Costus luteus 
differs from C. nigricans only in that its rhizomes are yellow, 
