Curcuma. monandria monogynia. 23 



or Hindoo holidays in the month of March. The root is 

 also used medicinally amongst the natives. 



In 1805, I gave some of the sliced and dried bulbous, and 

 plamate tuberous roots of this plant to Sir Joseph Banks, 

 which he gave to Dr. Comb, who found that it was the real 

 Zedoaria of our Materia Medica, and by the same means 

 ascertained that the root of my Curcuma Zedoaria, is Ze- 

 doaria rotunda of the shops. 



2. C. Zedoaria. R. 



Bulbs small, and, with the long palmate tubers, inwardly 

 yellow. Leaves broad-lanceolar, sessile on their sheaths, ce- 

 riceous underneath ; the whole plant of a uniform green. 



Amomum Zedoaria. Linn. sp. plant, ed. Willd. i. p. 7. 



Sans. V?ma-h?m*dra, Sholee, Vwnarista, Shob'ka. 



Beng. Junglee, or Bwn Hwldi, (wild turmeric.) 



Arab. Jedwar, or Zadwar. 



This beautiful species is a native, not only of Bengal, (and 

 common in gardens about Calcutta,) but is also a native of 

 China, and various other parts of Asia, and the Asiatic is- 

 lands. Flowering time the hot season, the leaves appear 

 about the same period, or rather after; for it is not uncommon 

 to find the beautiful, large, rosy, tufted spikes rising from the 

 naked earth before a single leaf is to be seen. 



Root biennial, tuberous, &c. as in the last, and inwardly 

 of a pretty deep yellow colour, approaching to that of tur- 

 meric. Stem no other than the sheaths of the leaves. Leaves 

 petioled, broad-lanceolar, entire, underneath covered with 

 soft cericeous down, which is particularly conspicuous when 

 the leaves are dry. The scape rises distinct from the leaves 

 during the dry season, and often not only at some distance, 

 but also sometime before them; it is round, as thick as a 

 man's fore finger ; a few inches long, and embraced by its 

 own short, proper, green sheaths. Spike from six to twelve 

 inches long, &c. exactly as in the last species. Bractes 

 and calyx as in the before-mentioned species. Corol one- 



B4 



