274 



Native of Pulo Penang. — Stem erect, somewhat recurved, 

 round and smooth. Leaves alternate, subsessile on their 

 sheaths, broadly lanceolate, 6 or 7 inches long, acuminate, 

 very entire and smooth, shining above. Sheaths smooth, 

 with a long scariose ligule often lacerated on the edge. Scapes 

 erect, a foot high, invested with alternate sheaths. Spikes 

 cylindrical, oblong, imbricated with bright red, ovate, acute 

 bracteas, shorter than the flowers : an inner bractea or in- 

 volucre surrounds the base of each flower. Calyx shorter by 

 one-half than the corolla, membranaceous, curved, cleft on 

 one side. Corolla yellowish-white; exterior limb 3-parted, 

 longer than the inner one ; lacinise acuminate, the upper one 

 longer and incumbent; interior limb unilabiate, lip 3-lobed, 

 middle lobe bifid, with reflexed margins. Anther terminating 

 in an incurved horn. Ovary 3-celled, many-seeded. Style 

 filiform, longer than the horn of the anther, embraced at the 

 base by two linear corpuscules. 



AMOMUM BIFLORUM. W. J. 



A. bifiorum ; foliis lato-lanceolatis glaberrimis, caule ancipiti, 

 spicis bifloris. 



Native of Pulo Penang. — A slender delicate species. Stem 

 erect, somewhat recurved, 3 feet in height, compressed, 

 doubly edged. Leaves alternate, bifarious, shortly petioled 

 upon their sheaths, broadly lanceolate, acuminate, narrow at 

 the base, entire, very smooth, the middle nerve somewhat 

 pubescent. Sheaths striated, slightly tomentose, with a short, 

 round, ciliated ligule. The base of the leaf-bearing stem is 

 swelled into a tuber, which throws out horizontal shoots of 

 some feet in length, as thick as a quill, and invested with 

 membranous sheaths, running under ground, and sending 

 up from their joints a number o? h'l^oi'ous peduncles or scapes, 

 which are enveloped in bracteal sheaths. Flowers generally 2, 

 one appearing after the other; at the base of each is a single 

 lanceolate, acute, reddish bractea ; besides which, a tubular 

 bractea or involucre surrounds the base of the gernien, mem- 

 branaceous, half as long as the calyx, and deeply cleft on 



