22 MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. CurCUmO. 



of various length. — Spike tufted, 4 or 5 inches long, (so that its 

 apex is elevated nearly a foot above- the surface of the earth ;) covered 

 with imbricated, oblong, concave bractes, connected by the lower half 

 of their inner maigins to the backs of those immediately above, form- 

 ing as many sacks, or pouches as there are bractes; the lower half 

 of these are broad, shorter, scincely tinged with red, containing each 

 about three or four, beautiful, yellow, sessile flowers, which expand 

 in succession, and are embraced laterally by their own proper, smaller, 

 short, colourless bractes. The superior half of the large coloured 

 ones, which form the tufts, are generally sterile, and of a deeper crim- 

 son^ or purple colour, than those w hich contain flowers. — Calj/x supe- 

 rior; scarcely one third the length of the corol, irregularly three- 

 toothed, pellucid. — Co;o/ funnel-shaped. Tube a little curved. Border 

 double ; exterior three-parted, the two lateral segments equal ; the 

 third or upper one vaulted and crowned with a subulate point ; colour 

 a very faint yellow. Interior three-parted ; lower segment, or lip, 

 broad, deep yellow, projecting, recurved, bifid ; upper or lateral seg- 

 ments obovate, equal, pale yellow, ftearly as long as the lip. — Fila- 

 ment short. Anther double, the low er end of each lobe terminating 

 in a long, sharp, subulate spur. — Germ beneath, hairy, three-celled, 

 with many ovuTa in each, attached to the inner angle of the cell. 

 Stule slender at the base, embraced by the two nectarial filaments. 

 Stigma two-lobed, crowning the anther. — Capsule oval, smooth, of a 

 pale straw-colour, thin and nearly pellucid ; three-celled, but with- 

 out any regular division into valves : when the seeds are ripe the elas- 

 ticity of the segments of the arils bursts the vertex into various por- 

 tions, from whence the seeds are soon expelled. — Seeds several in 

 6ach cell, arilled ; shape various, but the most prevailing is oblong. 

 AHh cut to the very base into several slender, unequal, white, fleshy 

 segments, which are united to the seed round the umbilicus. In- 

 teguments two ; exterior spongy, with highly polished slippery, light- 

 brown surface ; interior membranaceous. Perisperm pure white, hard 

 but friable, and occupies the lower half of the seed. Vitellus clear- 

 er, but less white and of a tougher consistence than the albumen ; it 

 forms or occupies the upper half of the seed, Emlryo nearly as 



