AMOMUM 



AMORPHA 



275 



from the rhizome, the inflorescence in Alpinia being 

 always terminal on the leafy shoots. They thrive in an 

 open soil, rich in humus and with abundance of water 

 during the growing period. They require a rest of 

 several months and to be kept on the dry side, but 

 not so dry in the case of the evergreen species as to 

 cause the leaves to shrivel. 



Cardamon, Linn. CARDAMOM. Plant, 4-8 ft.: Ivs. 

 thick, spicy, lanceolate: fls. brownish, in a recumbent 

 compound spike. E. Indies. Produces many of the 

 cardamon seeds of commerce. Not to be confounded 

 with Elettaria Caradamomum (which see). Sometimes 

 seen in growing collections of economic plants. Forms 

 very large clumps. 



Melegueta, Roscoe. Plant 4-5 ft., the rhizome slender: 

 Ivs. lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous, 6-9 in. long and 1 

 in. or less broad, narrowed at base and nearly sessile 

 on sheath: fls. solitary, 3-4 in. long, short-ped uncled; 

 upper corolla-lobe 2-3 in. long; lip 2 in. or less broad, 

 pure white or tinged pink : caps, flask-shaped, 3 in. long, 

 red or orange when ripe. Trop. Afr. 



Gr&num-Paradisii, Linn. (A. grandiflorum, Smith. 

 A. Afzelii, Roscoe). Plant 4-5 ft.: sts. red at base, 

 rhizome slender: Ivs. lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous, 

 4-8 in. long and 1% in. or less broad at middle, wedge- 

 shaped at base and short -stalked on sheath: fls. 3-4 in 

 the spike, the peduncles 2-6 in. long, white; corolla- 

 lobes 2 in. long; lip 2 in. or less long, yel- 

 low at the throat: caps, ovoid, pubescent, tf 

 2-3 in. long, much grooved. Guinea. B.M. ' 

 4603. 



angustifolium, Sonn. (A. madagascariense, 

 Lam. A. Daniellii, Hook. f. A. Clusii, 

 Hanb. A. erythrpcdrpum, Ridl.). Plant, 

 10-15 ft., the rhizome stout: Ivs. oblong- 

 lanceolate, acute, thin and glabrous, the 

 lower ones 1 ft. or more long and 3 in. 

 broad, nearly sessile: fls. several in spike, 

 yellow, tinged red; upper corolla-lobe oblong, lJ/> in. 

 long; lip about as large as the lobe, deflexed. W. and 

 E. Afr. B.M. 4764, 5250. 



hemisphaericum, Baker. Sts. densely tufted, 10-^12 

 ft.: Ivs. distichous, short -petiolcd above the sheathing 

 base, \Yi ft. long and 3 in. broad, cuspidate, green 

 above and claret-brown beneath: fls. very numerous, in 

 a globose head, the outer bracts large and empty, 

 obtuse, tinged brown, the inner bracts nearly as long 

 as the fl.; lobes of calyx and corolla green; lip strap- 

 shaped, emarginate, red-brown in middle and yellow at 

 edge. Straits Settlements. B.M. 7592. 



magnificum, Bcnth & Hook. f. A species of large 

 dimensions, reaching, when planted out in a rich soil, 

 up to a height of 20 ft. : rhizomes branching freely, stout, 

 dark brown, green when young: If.-st. erect, arching at 

 top, terete: Ivs. distichous shortly petiolate, lanceolate 

 or elliptic, 1-2 ft. long, acute, glabrous, upper side green, 

 (red when young) Tower side suffused with reddish 

 brown: peduncle stout, solitary, 2-5 ft. high; infl. a 

 globose head with large bright scarlet and green 

 bracts, outer bracts 3 in. long, ovate, or ovate-lanceo- 

 late; fls. numerous, densely crowded near the center of 

 the head; sepals lanceolate, an inch long, primrose, 

 tinted with red; petals lanceolate, slightly longer than 

 the sepals, yellow, tinted with red; lip longer than the 

 corolla-lobes, red, with a margin of yellow. Mauritius. 

 B.M. 3192 (as Alpinia). 



vitellinum, Lindl. Stemless, glabrous, 2 ft.: Ivs. 

 oval: fls. in oblong loose sessile spike, yellow; lip oblong. 

 E. Indies(?). 



vittatum, Bull, not Hance. A handsome dwarf ever- 

 green species with each leading shoot bearing 2-4 erect 

 or spreading elliptic Ivs. 4-5 in. in length, alternately 

 striped with silvery white and dark green on the upper 

 side, and dull green on the lower. Habitat unknown. 



Habit neat and compact, and similar in general 

 appearance to some of the calatheas. Easily prop, by 

 division of the rhizomes. L. H. B. 



C. P. RAFFILL. 



AMORPHA (Greek amorphos, deformed; the fls. are 

 destitute of wings and keel). Leguminosse. FALSE INDIGO. 

 Ornamental plants grown for their foliage and flowers. 



Shrubs, sometimes suffruticose: Ivs. alternate, odd- 

 pinnate, deciduous, with entire small Ifts: fls. in dense 

 terminal spikes, small, papilionaceous, but without 

 wings and keel; calyx campanulate with 5 nearly equal 

 teeth or the lower ones longer; standard folded around 

 the stamens; stamens connate at the base, exserted: 

 pod short, indehiscent, slightly curved, with 1-2 seeds. 

 Ten to 15 closely related species in N. Amer., south 

 to Mex. Conspectus of all the 

 known species by Schneider in Bot. 

 Gaz. 43:297 (1907). 



Amorphas are low or medium- 

 sized shrubs with graceful pinnate 

 foliage and small blue or purple 

 flowers, in dense upright spikes. 



Most of the species are hardy as 

 far north as Massachusetts; farther 

 north they must be considered as 

 only half-hardy. They grow well in 

 sunny and somewhat 

 dry situations but A. 

 * fruticosa prefers moist 

 soil; they are well 

 adapted for the bor- 

 ders of shrubberies. 



Propagation is usu- 

 ally by seeds; also by 

 greenwood cuttings 

 under glass in early 

 summer, or by hardwood cuttings, 

 placed in sheltered situations early 

 in fall and left undisturbed till the 

 following autumn. They may be 

 grown, also, from layers and 

 suckers. 



A. Lowest pair of Ifts. close to the 

 st.: plant grayish or whitish 

 pubescent, suffruticose. 



canescens, Nutt. LEAD-PLANT. 

 Low shrub, 13 ft., densely white-canescent : Ivs. 2 

 in. long; Ifts. 21-49, nearly sessile, oval or ovate-lanceo- 

 late, acutish, 4-7 lines long: fls. blue, the spikes 

 crowded into terminal panicles: pod tomentose. June. 

 Southern states. Mn. 5:707. B.M. 6618. R.H. 1896: 

 280. Handsome free-flowering shrub of dense habit, 

 well adapted for rockeries and borders of shrubberies 

 in sunny and well-drained situations. 



herbacea, Walt. (A. pubescens, Willd. A. pumila, 

 Michx.). Low shrub, 2-4 ft., grayish pubescent: Ivs. 

 2-6 in. long; Ifts. 11-37, elliptic to oblong, rounded at 

 both ends, 4-6 lines long, pubescent or glabrous above, 

 beneath dotted with dark glands, short-petioluled : fls. 

 varying from violet-purple to white, spikes in terminal 

 clusters: pod glandular. N.C. to Fla. L.B.C. 7:689. 



AA. Lowest pair of Ifts. remote from the St.: plant glabrous 



or nearly so, rarely yellowish pubescent. 



B. Calyx with the lower lobes elongated and pointed: pod 



curved on the back: young growth finely tomentose. 



fruticdsa, Linn. BASTARD INDIGO. Fig. 189. Shrub, 

 5-20 ft.: Ivs. 6-10 in. long,: Ifts. 11-21, oval or elliptic, 

 \^-\Yt in. long, mostly obtuse and mucronulate: spikes 

 dense, 3-6 in. long, usually in panicles; fls. dark purple: 

 pods stout, glandular. From AVis. and Pa. south. B.R. 

 5:427. Interesting ornamental shrub of spreading 

 habit, with fine feathery foliage; remarkable for the 

 unusual color of its dark violet-purplish fls. A very 



189. Amorpha 

 fruticosa. ( X X) 



