Alpinia. monandria monogynia. 75 



four inches broad. Sheaths villous, rising- in an obtuse ligu- 

 la above the insersion of the leaf. Spikes radical, oblong-, 

 laxly imbricated, rising but little above the earth ; lower part, 

 or scape hid in the soil, and clothed with shorter scariose 

 bractes. Flowers numerous, large, red, fragrant. Bractes; 

 exterior, one under each flower, lanceolate, ribbed, smooth, 

 yellowish pink; interior, or inferior perianth tubular, length 

 of the proper perianth. Calyx superior, length of the tube 

 of the corol, tubular, with three-toothed, coloured apex. 

 Corol; tube cylindric, long and slender; segments of the 

 border linear-oblong, obtuse. Lip with pretty broad cor- 

 date base, from thence tapering to its entire obtuse point, 

 much longer than the segment of the exterior border ; mar- 

 gins curled. Filament, anther, i/erm, style, stigma, and nec- 

 tarial bodies, as in the genus. Capsules pretty long-pedi- 

 celled, ovate-oblong, while fresh above an inch and a half 

 long, and nearly one in diameter, somew hat three-lobed, each 

 angle marked with a larger vertical wing, and two smaller 

 on the flatter sides, between the large ones, three-celled. 

 Seeds numerous, obovatc, with a groove on one side. In- 

 teguments two ; exterior soft, while fresh it may be called the 

 succulent aril ; interior white and rugose. Perisperm con- 

 form to the seed, white, and friable, perforated by a spongy, 

 brown substance above the embryo. Vitellus somewhat hy- 

 aline, rising on each side of the perforation like two horns. 

 Embryo sub-clavate, its small end lodged at the umbilicus. 



Obs. The form of the capsule, which resembles that of 

 Gsertner's Zinziber Ensal, and the acrid, aromatic taste of 

 the seeds, induce to conclude that this is the plant which pro- 

 duces the Cardamomum medium of the writers on Materia 

 Medica. 



12. A. linguiforme. R. 



Spikes radical, linear, rather open. Lip linguiform, bifid j 

 base broad, and spurless; sides incurved. 



