Elettaria?^ ScitaUlinecC. 26 1 



bracteolate ; cal. tubular, membranous, 3-lobed or toothed ; 

 cor.-tube cylindric, as long as thecal., segm. 3, dorsal broadest, 

 suberect, concave, lateral narrow, spreading or recurved ; lateral 

 staminodes 2, small, at the base of the lip ; lip obovoid, 

 longer than the cor.-segm., recurved ; anth. subsessile, cells 

 linear, parallel, base and tips obtuse, connective thick, not 

 produced into a crest ; ov. ovoid, and style glabrous, 3-celled, 

 cells many-ovuled, stigma small ; fr. globose or oblong, 

 3-celled, few seeded, pericarp thin, at length loculicidally 

 3-valved ; seeds angular, cuneiform. — Monotypic. 



E. Cardamomuin, Maton in Traits. Linn. Soc. x. 254(1811), var. 

 major, Smith in Rees Cyclop, xxxix. n. 2 (Sp.). Ensal, S. 



E. Cardamomum, var. /5, Thw. Enum. 318. Herni. Mus. 66. Avionium 

 Cardanwnium^ L. Sp. PI. i. Alpinia Gfanitin-Paradisi, Moon, Cat. i. 

 C. P. 2431. 



Y\. B. Ind. vi. 251. 



Rootstock woody or fleshy, branching, annulate ; stem. 

 6-9 ft., clothed below with spongy sheaths ; 1. subsessile, 

 lanceolate, 1-3 ft. by 3-6 in., caudate-acuminate, glabrous or 

 more or less pubescent above, puberulous beneath, base very 

 narrow, acute, sheath sparsely villous at the top, ligule short, 

 broad ; flg. stems several from the rootstock, branches long, 

 up to 2-3 ft., bracts at the internodes linear-oblong, i|-2 in., 

 membranous, persistent ; fl. in short 3-4-fld. racemes, shortly 

 pedicelled, bracteolate ; cal. -tube about h in., glabrous ; cor.- 

 segm. h in., linear-oblong, pale green, tips rounded ; lip | in. 

 long, obovate-spathulate, clawed, disk pubescent below the 

 middle, margin undulate; fr. i-i^ in., pale, finely ribbed, 

 globose. 



Forests in the moist region up to 3000 ft.; rather common. Fl. (?) ; 

 lip white, streaked with violet. 



There is no specimen or drawing in Hermann's Herb. The Ceylon 

 variety is maintained as a species by Horaninow (Prod. Scit. 31). 



The type form of E. Cardanwniuin is called 'Rata-ensal' here, and 

 comes originally from Malabar. It is largely cultivated on estates in 

 parts of the montane zone. Figured in Benth. and Trim. Med. PI. t. 267. 

 Rheede, Hort. Mai. xi. t. 4, 5. 



' A careful comparison of growing specimens satisfies me that the 

 plants producing respectively the round and the long Cardamoms of 



commerce are not distinct species In every essential particular 



the structure is similar in the two plants, the only difference being that 

 var. «, which produces the round Cardamom, is a little taller, with rather 

 narrower and less firm leaves, and that its fr. is more aromatic as well 

 as different in form. The seeds of both varieties are used by the 

 Cingalese to chew with their betel, and as medicines.' — Thwa'^es's 

 Enum. 1. c. 



