124 ODOKOGRAPHIA. 



A. maximum. Its three valves very easily split open, disclosing 

 from 60 to 80 seeds arranf^ed in the three lobes and acjcrlutinated 

 together by a sticky saccharine pulp which constitutes the arillus 

 enveloping each seed. The seeds are roundish oval or obovate, but 

 angular by reason of pressure against each other ; their odour and 

 taste is very aromatic and camphoraceous. 



The roots of this plant are tuberous, as in other species. The 

 stems are in tufts, more or less oblique according to their situation 

 in the tuft, those in the centre being nearly erect, while on the 

 outside they bend out considerably ; all are covered with the 

 sheaths of the leaves ; their general height is two or three feet. 

 The leaves are lanceolate, acuminate, smooth, from ten to twelve 

 inches long and from two to four broad. The spikes are radical, 

 imbricated, at first clavate, afterwards becoming roundish as the 

 fruit matures. The pale-yellow flowers are of medium size, each 

 emerging from the axil of an oblong, smooth, concave bracte. The 

 calyx is cylindric, entire or dentate, villous ; the corolla is formed 

 of a long slender tube of three sub-lanceolate obtuse segments, the 

 upper one somewhat recurved over the stamina and stigma. The 

 lip or labellum is nearly round and is undivided ; it is tinged with 

 red down the middle, having no spurs or projections between it and 

 the base of the filament. The filament is linear and incurved. 

 The anther is crowned with a three-lobed crest. 



A. subulatum, Eoxb. "Flor. Ind," i., p. 42, furnishes the 

 "Nepal cardamom," which, in the state it is met with on the market 

 very much resembles the " Bengal " sort, the seed pods being of 

 the same size, shape, and outward appearance, the seeds also being 

 of the same shape and aroma ; the principal difference consists in 

 its being surmounted with a tabular calyx as long or longer than 

 the fruit itself ; another difference being that it frequently has a 

 short stalk attached. The plant is a native of the lower range of 

 mountains which skirt the plains of Bengal on the north, where it 

 grows on the banks of the brooks between the hills. It is 

 cultivated near Darjiling on the Nepal frontier, where it attains a 

 height of from three to five feet on the well watered mountain 

 slopes and beneath the shade of trees. The radical, compact spikes, 

 which are but little elevated above the soil, are obovate, with long 

 subulate bractes and dark red in colour. The flowers are yellow 

 and large, with an oblong labellum, the anthers are crowned with 



