371 



Flowers pure white or with only a tinge of yellow. 



Lip about 4-75x4 cm, H. coronarium^ Koeni^ 



Lip 6-75 X 4-5 cm, H. maximum^ Roscoe- 



FloAvcrs yellow to orange. 



Lip entire, slightly bilobed or with a wavy margin; filn 

 menfc stout, yellow. H^ itrophyllum, Lodd. 



Lip distinctly bilobed. 



Filament slender, of a bright red colour; lip broad. 



Filament yellow. 



Flowers 13 to 14 cm. long. 

 Lin and lateral staminoi 



77- Elwesiiy Baker. 



H. ;? 



Lip and lateral staminodes deep or orange-yellow 



towards the base. H. chrysoleucum^ Hook., 



Flo 



Calyx nearly as long as the corolla-tube; filament 

 with the anther as long as or slightly shorter than 

 the lip. H. flavum, Iloxb. 



Calyx about half as long as the corolla-tube ; fila- 

 ment with the anther distinctly longer than the 

 lip, H. suhditum, TurrilL 



been 



found in the systematic works dealing with Hedychium^ is due to 

 the difficulty o'^f working satisfactorily with dried material. The 

 large majority of the specimens preserved in the Kew and British 

 Museum Herbaria are leafy inflorescences w^hich were dried entire 

 with the flowers still on, and no attempt was made to preserve the 

 shape of the floral parts. Consequently, it is often impossible to 



make 



staminodes and labellum 



Moreover, the usual metl 



atisfactory 



treatment they generally form a soft pulpy mass from which their 

 original structure cannot be determined. However, if the follow- 

 ing hints are carefully followed the preparation of adequate 

 herbarium specimens' is a comparatively simple matter. A speci- 

 men should be selected which is in full flower and a complete stem 

 taken and cut up into suitable lengths of about 15 inches. Each 

 length should be numbered, so that on examination of the dried 

 material the sequence of the specimens is obvious. The leafy por- 



heet of dr}?ing 



^ 



ng carefully bent over. A few 

 leaves with complete ligules should be dried separately. The 

 inflorescence is best taken with two or three leaves still attached 

 just below itj and sliced down the centre, each half being dried 

 alone. The chief care, however, should be given to the drying of 

 individual flowers. Buds, young, mature and old flowers should 

 be taken from the axils of the bracts and laid separately between 

 sheets of blotting or other absorbent paper. It is essential 

 that each flower so dried should be complete, and care is needed to 

 ensure that the small inferior ovary is detached from the inflores- 

 cence with each flower taken. The various floral parts, perianth 



Ti2 



