IB MONANDRIA MONOCYNIA. Amomum. 



Root tuberous, as in ginger, but much larger, and with 

 large, conical bulb-like bases to the oldest stems. Stems 

 nearly erect, round, and smooth ; from six to eight or more 

 feet high, invested in the smooth, long sheaths of the leaves. 

 Leaves alternate, petioled, lanceolar, and linear-laneeolar, 

 acute, smooth above ; villous underneath, with many large 

 parallel veins; from two to three feet long-, and about six 

 inches broad ; when dry the under side appears to be more 

 closely covered, with most beautiful, soft, sericeous down, 

 than while fresh. Petioles, the sheathing part long, between 

 each petiole and its leaf there is a short, somewhat triangular 

 portion, with a stipulary process, or tigula at the inside of its 

 base. Spikes radical, short, their flower-bearing apex being- 

 only just above the earth; below the flowers it is covered 

 with large, oval, concave scales. Bractes solitary, one- 

 flowered, lanceolate, membranaceous, rather longer than the 

 tubes of the flowers. Valyx tubular, a little gibbous, length 

 of the tube of the corol ; mouth three-toothed. Carol; tube 

 runnel-shaped. Exterior border three-parted, as usual ; but 

 here they all converge upward into one helmet over the an- 

 ther and stigma, as in the Orehideie. Lip entire, expanding, 

 oblong, marked with a yellow stripe down the middle ; mar- 

 gins waved, and crenulate. Filament short, from the mouth 

 of the tube of the corol, opposite to its interior border, on 

 each side of its insertion, is a small hornft't. Anther double, 

 or two-lobed, and crowned with a beautiful, broad, semi- 

 lunar crest. Nectarial bodies of Konig linear, fluted, and 

 truncate. Germ short-pedicelled, striated, three-celled, with 

 numerous ovula in each, attached to the inner angle, (axis.) 

 Style slender. Stigma funnel-shaped, but shut transversely, 

 except during anthesis. Capsule almost globular, size of a 

 gooseberry, three-celled, three-valved, ornamented with nine, 

 firm, short, ragged (when old and dry), membranaceous 

 wings. 



Obs. The seeds possess a warm, pungent, aromatic taste, 

 not unlike that of Cardamoms, but by no means so grateful. 



