61 



ROSCOEA purpurea. 

 Purple Roscoea. 



MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 

 Nat. Ord. ZlNGIBERACE^. 



ROSCOEA. Smith. Calyx tubulosus. Corollee tubus sursum dilatatus; 

 limbi lacinicB extei'ioi'es laterales angustEe patentes, postica fornicata, ei'ecta ; 

 interiores laterales breves, postice conniventes; labellum niajus, bilobum. 

 Filamentum brevissimum, carinatum, antherd incurva basi bicalcarata termi- 

 natum. Ovarium inferum, triloculare. Ovula in loculoruni angulo centrali 

 plurima, horizontalia, anatropa. Stylus filiformis ; stigma globulare perfora- 

 tum. Capsula trilocularis, ioculicido-trivalvis. Semina plurima, arillata. 



Herbse nepalenses ; radice e tuberibus fasciculatis, caule erecto, folioso, 



spica subcapitatd bracteatd. Endlicher, Genera Plantarum, p. 223. no. 1625. 



R. purpurea ; spica brevi sessili intra foliorum vaginas inclusa, petalis exte- 



rioribus lateralibus collateralibus labello obovato undulate integro sup- 



positis pendulis. 

 R. pui-purea. Smith exot. Bot. 11. 97. t. 108. Linn. Trans, xiii. 461. 



Rees. Cyclop. Hooker exot.fi. t. 144. Rose, monand, pi. t. 86. Dietrich, 



sp.pl. 1. 38. Royle Illustr. t. 89./. 3. 



This beautiful herbaceous plant has long been known, 

 and frequently introduced to our gardens from India, where 

 it inhabits the northern provinces ; but it is rarely met with 

 in cultivation. Accordinjr to Dr. Rovle " the whole sfenus, 

 which is peculiar to the Himalayan Mountains, is that which 

 among the Ginger Tribe is found at the highest stations. 

 H. purpurea, now figured, the most common species in Nepal 

 and Kemaon, is extremely abundant at Simla and Mussooree, 

 and as far down as Jurreepannee. Roscoea elatior is found 

 at Dhunoulthee ; and with the former also in Nepal and 

 Kemaon. Roscoea spicata, discovered on Sheopore and 

 Gossain Than, occurs in the same situations as Hedychium 



* So named by Sir James Ed. Smith in honour of William Roscoe, Esq. 

 the reformer of the Scitamineous plants of Linnseus, of which this genus 

 is one. 



November, 1840. y 



