650 ZING1BERACE.E. 



overlapping bracts, which are remarkably broad and truncate with a 



sharp central claw, — very distinct from the much narrower ovate bracts 



of A. aromaticum, as shown in Roxburgh's unpublished drawincr of 

 that plant. 



The plant, which is unquestionably a species of Amomum, has not 

 yet been identified with any published description. We have to thank 

 Colonel Richard C. Lawrence, British Resident at Katmandu, for send- 

 ing us a fruit-scape in alcohol, some dried leaves, and also the drug 

 itself,— the last agreeing perfectly with specimens obtained through 

 other channels. 



The Nepal cardamom, the first account of which is due to Hamilton/ 

 is cultivated on the frontiers of Nepal, near Darjiling. The plant is 

 stated by Col. Lawrence to attain 3 to 6 feet in height, and to be grown 

 on well-watered slopes of the hills, under the shelter of trees. The fruit 

 is exported to other parts of Lidia. 



Java Cardamom — A well-marked fruit, produced by Amomum 



maximum Roxb., a plant of Java. The fruits are arranged to the 



number of 30 to 40 on a short thick scape, and form a globose group, 



4 mches in diameter. They are stalked, and of a conical or ovoid form, 



m the fresh state as much as l' inches long by 1 inch broad. Each 



fruit IS provided with 9 to 10 prominent wino-s, i of an inch high, 

 running from ^- ' - , . o. . 



lowest part, 

 tube. 



ha, 



base to apex, and coarsely toothed except in their 

 The summit is crowned by a short, withered, calycinal 



Mr. Binnendyk, of the Botanical garden of Buitenzorg, in Java, who 



■\v 



maxiTnwni 



1 -^-i, . ""'^^'^ ».uxuu.icu uiiivviug, siaies rnai tne pianij is cuiuivati.v., 

 anc[ that its fruits are sold for the sake of their agreeable edible pulp. 



o 



Nepal 



exported. 



Korarima Car(Iamom~T:he Arab Physicians were acquainted with 

 a sort of cardamom called He'd, which was later known in Europe, and 

 IS mentioned m the most ancient printed pharmacopoeias as Cardamo- 

 mum majus,^ a name occurring also in Valerius Cordus and Mattiolus. 



Like some other Easfom A-,-nr^c U J,,„n-. i: j i'„,,.., V.-nm-npnn 



commerce 



T- T V ^^^^^^ ^^"^*^ ^o t)e transferred to Grains oj raracmt, 



Which to the present day are known in the shops as Semma Carda- 



momi majoris. 



The true Gardamomum majus is a conical fruit,^ in size and shape 

 not unlike a small fig reversed, containing roundish angular seeds ot 

 an agreeable aromatic flavour, much resembling that of the Malabar 

 cardamom, and quite devoid of the burning taste of grains of paradise. 

 Each fruit is perforated, having been stiimg on a cord to dry ; such 

 strings ot_ cardamoms are sometimes used by the Arabs as rosaries. 

 ine iruit m question is callp.rl in ihn HoUo i ,„n,^ Trn^^n^'lma. hut it 



as 



'dgi spice, and by 



1819^ tT?^''-^''''^''''^'^'''"''-^^^^^^"^' K^^in- ' Fig-ured in Perei.a, Materia i/^^j^* f J; 



- As the T^^r. .,.: A . part i. ( 1 855) 250. and already in,*lf "57 



ed at mSL in Tiofi^-''"'''? "r''"'''' P"»*- CommXfnr. !n Din-^corid. lib. i. (1558) 27. 

 Hdl or r^J ^^' "' ^^^""^ i* i« called 



