162 PETCH : 



re-curved and mucronate at the apex. Hermann stated that the 

 pockets formed by the bracts contained a " tenax et viscosus 

 humor, collectus ex nocturno deciduo rore." Grimm made 

 a similar statement concerning Alpinia Galdnga, but it is no 

 doubt equally applicable to all inflorescences of this type. 

 The flowers had four petals, most usually pale yellow or 

 purplish, and the lip was twisted and fimbriate (intorto et 

 fimbriato). The fruit capsule was membranous, trilocula,r, 

 with globose fuscous seeds, smaller than those of Canna indica. 

 Valeton takes the plant described above as Curcuma longa 

 L.J and lists it as an incompletely known species. But as far 

 as specimens are concerned, Curcuma longa L. is the " Kaha. 

 Curcumae flos. Curcuma radice longa H. L. B. " of Hermann, 

 Mus, Zeyl., p. 30, and Linn., Flora Ze)^lanica, No. 7, the 

 specimen of which was seen and examined by Linnseus. As 

 Trimen pointed out (Jour. Linn. Soc, XXIV., p. 132), " it 

 must be confessed that Liimseus has rendered some of his 

 species obscure by erroneous synonymy ; in working out the 

 Flora Zeylanica he evidently endeavoured to embody as much 

 as possible of what had been previously published of the plants 

 of the East Indies generally ; and he has not infrequently 

 given under the Ceylon species synonyms and references 

 which belong to quite different Indian or Javan plants. In 

 most, though not all, of these cases I think it must be allowed 

 that the Hermannian specimens should determine what was 

 the plant intended by Linnaeus rather than his book references." 

 Hermann's specimen of Curcuma longa is still in existence. It 

 was examined in 1857 by W. Ferguson, who passed it as the 

 Ceylon Turmeric. Ferguson noted that only the flower (inflore- 

 scence) remained ; but as Hermann described his specimen (in 

 Mus. Zeyl.) as Flos Curcumse, it may be doubted whether there 

 was ever more than that. It was examined by Trimen in 1886, 

 and enumerated by him without comment (loc. cit.). But it is 

 remarkable that Trimen stated, in Flora of Ceylon, IV., p. 242, 

 that Hermann's figure was a good figure of the Turmeric grown 

 in native gardens in Ceylon , though it clearly shows a lateral 

 inflorescence. There is a specimen of the Turmeric in the 

 Peradeniya Herbarium coUected by Thwaites and labelled 

 Curcuma longa L. ; it has a central inflorescence. 



