Order 113. Scitaminece. 333 



This order was formerly called the Ginger family; but is now- 

 made to include, as separate tribes, the arrowroots and plantains, 

 formerly separate orders. It is a distinctly tropical order of large 

 herbs, having in nearly all cases large handsome foliage, and very 

 often showy flowers with many-coloured bracts. It might be thought 

 from the mention in the above description of calyx and corolla, and 

 leaves with nerves proceeding from the midrib, that the plants would 

 have the appearance of belonging to the earlier orders ; but this is 

 not the case, the leaves being evidently endogenous, and not re- 

 ticulated, and the peculiarity of flowers described below also making 

 a distinction. 



The roots of a large number of plants of this order are used for 

 food, and some are medicinal. 



" The peculiarity of the flowers is that most of the stamens are so 

 developed as to look like petals, only one stamen generally retaining 

 the normal appearance, and producing an anther. The perianth is 

 usually of six lobes in two series (called calyx and corolla above), 

 and within the perianth are the barren stamens (staminodes), which 

 look like petals, are generally unequal in size and phape, and are 

 variously combined. This arrangement makes the comprehension 

 of the flowers difficult to beginners." Oliver. 



11 In the Ginger order one outer whorl of stamens resembles the 

 tubular corolla, so that the perianth seems to consist of nine lobes 

 instead of six." Grant Allen. 



Note. When there is a stem the leaves make a sheath to it, but in 

 some cases there is no stem, the leaves being radical, and the scape 

 of flowers then springs up, sometimes from the centre of the leaves, 

 sometimes at a little distance from them, as if too proud to acknow- 

 ledge the connection. 



TRIBE 1. ZINGIBERE^E. Gingers. Calyx tubular or spath- 

 aceous, staminodes various, style slender, embraced below the 

 stigma by the anther. 



1. GLOBBA. Stem erect, leafy, corolla tube long, filament 

 slender, with two dorsal appendages, connective simple, winged 

 or spurred, ovary one-celled. 



(a) Lateral staminodes broad. 



2. CURCUMA. Stem none, bracts hooded, enclosing several 

 flowers, forming a cone-like spike, filament petaloid, anther 

 cells spurred at the base. 



Note. Although having no stem, properly so called, many species 

 have a spurious istem formed of the thick sheathing leaf -stalks, much 

 as in the plantains j this is called by H. the " leafy stem." or the 

 " leafy tuft." 



3. K^EMPFERIA. Stem short or none, filament very short, 

 connective crested. 



4. HITCHENIA. Flowering stem leafy, filament long, 



