392 MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



stuff, in making turmeric paper, as a condiment, especially in curry powder, k 

 and as an aromatic stimulant. The zedoary, (C. Zedoraia), is used in Himala- 

 yan India, where it is native, in place of turmeric. Galangal is the root of i 

 Alpinia officinarum which grows on the Chinese coast. Another species, A. \ 

 Galanga is used on the island of Java. 



MICROSPERMAE 



Herbs with endogenous stems, flowers very irregular or in a few cases : 

 regular, generally complete and perfect, and parts in 3's or 6's ; ovary inferior 

 compound;' seeds small, numerous, without endosperm. 



Family ORCHIDACEAE. Orchid Family 



Perennial herbs with corms, bulbs or tuberous roots; perfect and irregular 

 flowers; perianth of 6 divisions in 2 sets, the 3 outer similar in texture a 

 to the 3 inner petals, one of the 3 inner, different in form and is called the lip;- 1 

 in front of the lip is a column composed of a single stamen, or in Cypripedium 1 

 of two stamens, and a rudiment of the third ; pollen in 2 or 8 pear shaped \ 

 sacs called pollinia which are united by little threads. Stamens variously united n 

 with the thick, fleshy style into a column ; ovary 1 -celled with many ovules on a three 

 parietal placentae; capsule 1 -celled, 3-valved, seeds numerous. A large order 

 of about 5000 species of wide distribution, most abundant in the tropics. Many 

 of the plants like the Cypripedium, Angrecum and the Catasitum are culti-J 

 vated for ornamental purposes. 



The salep of commerce is obtained from the Orchis masciilata. The] I 

 flavoring material, vanilla, is obtained from Vanilla planifolia, native to 

 Mexico and widely distributed by cultivation; this plant contains from 1^2 to 

 3 percent of vanillin C g H g O . Other species of the genus Vanilla also fur- 

 nish vanilla but in smaller quantities ; these are V. Pompona, V. guianensis, 

 and V. palmar um. Vanillin is also made from conifcrin and eugenol, an 

 occurs in other orchids as SpirantJies and such plants as Spiraea Ulmaria 

 and Lnpinus albus. It is used for medicine. 



Orchids contain some alkaloids; for example, Plialanopsis amabilis con 

 tains a tonic alkaloid, according to Boorsnis, which is closely related to coni 

 ferin, C ]6 H a2 O g . 



Cypripedium L,. 



Tufted roots; perennial, glandular, pubescent herbs; leaves large, man) 

 nerved; flowers solitary or few; sepals shiny, spreading, 3 distinct or 

 of them united into one, under the lip ; petals spreading, resembling the sepals ; 

 lip of large inflated sac, column declined with a fertile stamen on each side; 

 a sterile petaloid stamen above, which covers the summit of the style ; poller 

 granular, stigma broad, obscurely 3-lobed, moist and roughish. About 

 species, mostly tropical. 



Crypndium parviflorum, Salisb var. pubesccns (Willd) Knight. Yellow Lad) 



Slipper 



Perennial, with leafy stem, 2 feet high, pubescent ; leaves oval, or ellip] 

 tical, acute ; sepals ovate, lanceolate, usually larger than the lip, yellowish 01] 

 greenish ; petals narrower, usually twisted ; lip flattened laterally, pale yello\ 

 with purple lines. 



