250 Dr. Maton's additional Remarks 



considered as an Alpinia, or an Hellcnia, Avithout great violence 

 to its natural characters, for the inflorescence issues horizontally 

 from the tuberous, annulated part of the stem, near the root ; 

 but in the genera just mentioned it is terminal, from the extre- 

 mities of the leafy shoots,— a difference (as Mr. Roscoe also 

 remarks, in a letter with which he has favoured me on this sub- 

 ject) too great to be made a mere specific distinction; and I 

 cannot help suspecting that the fruit, likewise, will be found to 

 be different, though my opportunities of investigation have not 

 been sufficient to warrant my being confident on this point. 

 From Philydrum there is a sufficient distinction in the absence 

 of the woolly appendage at the base of the tube, and from 

 Hedi/chium in the anthera not being placed marginally on the 

 filament. According to Mr. Roscoe, all the Rencalmia (except 

 K. exaltata perhaps) are reducible to the genus Alpinia, their in- 

 florescence being terminal ; and the description of R. eialtala, 

 as given in the Supplementum Plantarum, cuts off that plant 

 from a generic alliance with the Cardamom, the fruit of the 

 former being a cylindrical bacca, containing seeds perfectly 

 smooth. 



Hence it seems necessary to place the Cardamom under a new 

 genus, to which I propose to affix the name of Elettaria,. 

 from Elettari, the original Malabar appellation, as given in the 

 Hortus Malubaricus. I cannot help considering it as premature 

 to attempt to draw its botanical characters in a regular manner, 

 until opportunities are afforded of comparing this plant, in 

 the different stages of fructification, with its congeners, particu- 

 larly Amomiun and Alpinia, of which perfect specimens in a 

 living state ought to be carefully investigated, before any discri- 

 minations can be satisfactorily established. In the mean time, 

 it may be pf some importance to collate the figures and descrip-. 



tions 



