Zingiber?^ Scitaminecs. 259 



larger, broadly ovate, cymbiform, erect ; lip suborbicular, 

 I in. broad, decurved, retuse or 2-lobed, margins erose and 

 wrinkled ; anth. large, sulphur yellow, decurved, cells parallel, 

 glabrous ; style glabrous, stigma obconic, ciliate ; fr. ovoid, § in. 

 long, membranous ; seeds man}', very small, purple. 



Moist country; rare (?) ; cultivated only. Fl. Aug., Sept.; pale yellow. 



Cult, throughout Tropical Asia. 



With regard to the above plant, it was described by Dr. Trimen from 

 a Bot. Garden specimen (July 1S96). He says of it: 'I am quite in 

 doubt whether this is C. P. 3727, or whether it belongs to z. Cassitjiiunar 

 at all;' also that 'he does not know Thwaites's plant, called van sub' 

 glabra.^ He further describes the roots as 'very pale yellow, within 

 nearly white, almost scentless, taste moderately bitter, not at all aromatic' 

 Roxburgh, the author of Z. Cassi/imamr, says it is wild in Coromandel 

 and Behar, flowering in Nov. and Dec, and that the fresh rootstock is 

 deep yellow, with a strong, not very agreeable, camphoraceous flavour. 

 Dr. Trimen's description tallies fairly well with Roxburgh's and with 

 the Bot. Mag figure.— J. D. H. 



4. Z. Zerumbet,'^ Smith, Exotic Bot. ii. 105 (1805). Wal- 

 ing-uru, .V. 



Herm. Hort. Lugd.-Bat. 636; Mus. 51. Burm. Thes. 234. Fl. Zeyl. 

 n. 2. Aiiioiiuiin Zerumbet, L. Sp. PI. i. Moon, Cat. i. Thw. Enum. 315. 



c. P. 3699. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 247. Herm. Hort. Lugd.-Bat. t. 637. Wight, Ic. t. 2003. 

 Bot. Mag. t. 2000. 



Rootstock very large, not much branched, hard, tuber- 

 culous, biennial, root-fibres vermiform ; leafing stem 5-6 ft., 

 about h in. diam., cylindric, glabrous, annual; 1. T0-12 by 

 2-3 in., sessile, oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, acuminate, 

 glabrous, base narrowed, ligule i-f in. long, truncate, mem- 

 branous ; flg. stem 12-18 in., stout, usually flexuous, clothed 

 with long appressed obtuse sheaths with sometimes rudi- 

 inentary blades ; spike 3-4 in. by b. in. diam. conico-oblong ; 

 bracts i-i| in., closely imbricate, ovate-oblong, tip rounded, 

 glabrous, green, bright red in fr., margins membranous; cal.- 

 tube I in., appressed to thecor.-tube, 3-toothed, glabrous; cor.- 

 tube i^ in., segm. ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, lateral smaller, 

 adnate to the base of the lip ; lip shorter than the cor.-segm., 

 3-fid, lobes obtuse, median- longest ; anth. glabrous ; st;;^le 

 glabrous, stigma minute, funnel-shaped, mouth ciliate ; fr. 

 I in. long, oblong ; seeds i in. long, oblong, black. 



Low country, very doubtfully native, up to 2000 ft. Fl. June; very 

 pale yellow, the lip rather darker. 



Cultivated throughout Tropics of Old World. 



This wild ginger has the aromatic flavour of Z. officinale mixed with 

 some bitterness. 



* Name taken from Garcia ab Orto, but this Arabic name doubtfully 

 has any claim to be this plant. 



