Curcuma. monandria monogynia. 35 



Root consisting, like that of the other species, of bulbs, and 

 palmate, pendulous tubers; aromatic, and bitter, and em- 

 ployed by the Malays of Sumatra to dye with. Leaves pe- 

 tioled, broad-lanceolar, smooth ; from one to three feet lon<r; 

 the petioles, and sheaths thereof about as long. Spike central, 

 large. Bractes, even those of the coma, uniformly green ; the 

 latter only paler. Floicers small, very pale yellow. 



15. C. montana. Coram, pi. 2. N. 151. 



Bulbs conic, with pale-yellow _p«/»iafe tubeis. Leaves short, 

 petioled, oblong. The whole plant uniformly green, except 

 the rosy coma of the spike. 



It grows in moist places, amongst the Circar mountains. 

 Flowering time the rainy season. 



Root perennial, consisting of conical bulbs enveloped in 

 the remaining sheaths of the leaves, and also of horizontal 

 tubers, as m ginger, &c, with large fleshy fibres from their 

 base. Leaves radical, three or four-petioled, their petioles 

 from eight to twelve inches long', enveloped in a few sheaths, 

 forming something- like a stem ; the leaves themselves are 

 oval, pointed, beautifully veined, smooth, from eight to 

 twelve inches long, and from five to six broad. Spikes rise 

 from the centre of the petioles; their peduncle is of their 

 length, and involved in its proper sheaths. Bractes numer- 

 ous; the inferior roundish, the superior oblong; the lower 

 half of the base of the two inner are united to the margins of 

 the next without, forming a sack, which contains from two to 

 four flowers, each of which has a smaller wedge-formed mem- 

 branaceous proper bracte. The coma or supeiior bractes 

 large, waved, rose-coloured, and (generally) without flowers. 

 Calyx as in the two former species. Tube of the corol widen- 

 ing, somewhat campanulate; border double. Exterior 

 three-parted ; divisions equal, entire. Interior two-lipped ; 

 upper lip erect, three-cleft ; under lip entire, roundish, border 

 waved, and a little notched. Filament no other than the 

 middle segment of the upper lip of the interior border of the 



C2 



