LF) SE Sa 
738 ORD. XLV. Scitaminec. CURCUMA LONGA. 
Class Monandria. Ord. Monogynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 6. 
Ess. Gen. Ch. Stamina. A-sterilia, quinto fertilt. 
Sp. Ch. C. foliis lanceolatis : nervis lateralibus numerosissimis. 
THE root is perennial, tuberous, and furnished with strong 
fibres, externally brownish, and internally of a deep yellow colour: 
the leaves are radical, large, lance-shaped, obliquely nerved ; at 
the bottam, vaginal, and closely embracin g each other: the scapus, 
or flower stem, rises from the centre of the leaves; it is short, 
thick, smooth, and forms a spike of numerous bracteal imbricated 
scales, between which the flowers successively issue: the corolla is 
monopetalous, consisting of a narrow tube, divided at the mouth 
into three oval segments: the nectarium occupies the wide under- 
sinus of the corolla, and is the most conspicuous part of the flower; 
it is of a flesh colour, petal-like, large, spreading, and cut into three 
divisions, of which the middlemost is the largest : the filaments are 
five, four of which are erect, slender, linear, contracted, sterile; the 
fifth is petal-formed, lodged within the nectarium, and cleft at the 
top, to which the anthera is adjoined: the germenis roundish, and 
placed below the corolla: the style is the length of the filament, 
and furnished with a simple hooked stigma: the capsule is roundish, 
three-celled, three-valved, and contains numerous small seeds. 
Turmeric is a native of the East Indies, and common in, the 
gardens of the Chinese ; it grows abundantly in Malacca, Java, and 
Balega.* It was first cultivated in England by Mr. P. Miller in 
1759.” The root of this plant has been long officinally known, 
and passed under different names, as Crocus indicus, Terra merita, 
&c. Inits dried state, as imported here, it is various in shape ; 
externally of a pale yellow colour, wrinkled, solid, ponderous, and 
the inner substance of a deep saffron or gold colour; its odour is 
ocsuenal fragrant, and to the taste it is bitterish, slightly acrid, ° 
* Vide mons Rumphius, and Bontius. 
* Hort. Kew. * The Chinese use it as a sternutatory. 
