82 ODOROGRAPHIA. 



and erect margin, while a broad elevation of a deep yellow colour 

 runs along its middle ; the upper two divisions are obovate, and 

 with the upper segment of the exterior border forming a complete 

 covering or dome over the anther, The filament is short, inserted 

 between the two upper divisions of the inner border of the corolla. 

 The anther is two-lobed,each ending in a long sharp spur at the base. 

 The germ is beneath, hairy, three-celled, with many ovula in each 

 cell. The style is filiform. The stigma three-lobed, with a 

 perforation in the centre. 



The flowering time is the hot season ; the plant is then highly 

 ornamental,few surpassing it in beauty; at the same time it possesses 

 a considerable degree of delicate aromatic fragrance. It is not 

 uncommon to find the large rosy tufted spikes rising from the 

 naked earth before a single leaf is to be seen. The plant is figured 

 in Curtis' Botanical Magazine, t. 1 546. 



The root of Curcuma Zedoaria yields on distillation I'o per cent. 

 of volatile oil. 



The Curcuma Zerumbet, Eoxb., is a plant of very similar 

 nature to the C. Zedoaria ; Watts* says they are synonymous, but 

 the distinctive differences are clearly indicated by Eoxburgh, 

 whose botanical analysis is given below. He states the Oriental 

 appelations to be as follows : — 



Sanskrit — Shutee ; Gundha-molee ; Shud-grunthhika, Kurvoora, 

 Kurchoora, and Pulasha in the Flora Indica: and 

 Carchuraca, Carchura, and Sat 'hi (which is also the 

 Bengalee name) in the " Asiatic Eesearches " (where the 

 words are somewhat differently Eomanised from the 

 Sanskrit character). In the Hindee, Tellingu and 

 Bens^alee dialects it is called Kuchoora. 



Some writers on Indian Materia Medica hold that true Zedoary 

 is the produce of C. Zerurubet Eoxb., and state its Tellingu name 

 to be Keechlie-gudda, and its Tamul name Pulang-Kilunggu.-\ 



The Malabar name Cuwa or Kua is given by Van Eheede, wdio 

 figures and describes the plant in his " Hortus Malabaricus," xi, 

 p. 13, t, 7. (The same Malabar name is applied to C. Zedoaria.) 



The Persian and Arabic name Zerumbad is used by Eumphius 



* Diet, of the Economic plants of India, ii. p. 669. 

 t Ainslie, Mat. Med., i. pp. 492, 493. 



