The Lihcrian Flora 



ZINGIBERACE.E 



Aframomum melegueta, K. Schum. (syn. Amomum melegueta, Roscoe) : 

 a perennial herb with distinct leaf- and flower-stems, leaf-stems 

 up to 5 ft. high with sessile or subsessile linear-lanceolate 

 caudate-acuminate glabrous blades, 7 1 1 in. by j I in. ; flower- 

 stems 3 5 in. long, consisting of a short bracteate peduncle 

 and a single trumpet-shaped flower springing from a spike-like 

 cluster of bracts, white or pinkish with a large broad rounded 

 violet or pink lip ; berry bottle-shaped not grooved, 2 in. long, 

 with very aromatic seeds if in. across. The seeds of this 

 species are known as "grana paradisi. Bentham (in Flora 

 Nigritiana, p. 534) mentions that Vogel collected " Amomum 

 granum paradisi, L." near Grand Basa ; there is, however, no 

 specimen of Vogel's from this locality at Kew. It is very likely 

 that Bentham, in this place, understood under "Amomum 

 granum paradisi, L." what is now called Aframomum melegueta, 

 although he coupled with it, in the same passage, a specimen 

 collected by Vogel at Abo in Nigeria which is preserved at 

 Kew and is clearly not A. melegueta. 



*A. sulcatum, K. Schum. (syn. Amomum sulcatum, Oliv. and Hanb. 

 ex Baker) : similar to the preceding species, but with broader 

 leaves, an almost subsessile flower-spike and grooved fruits ; 

 Grand Basa, Benson, 17 !; Cape Palmas, Hoffmann, 14 ! Gibson \ 

 The pulp of the berries is eaten. Vernacular name " Bla " 

 or Ble." 



A. latifolium, K. Sch. (syn. Amomum latifolium, A fa.) : leaf-stems 

 up to 3 ft. high with lanceolate leaves (10 in. by 2| in.), 

 flower-stems with a peduncled spike of 3 4 white flowers and 

 berries almost 3 in. long ; Grand Basa, in Hanbury's herbarium. 



A. longiscapum, K. ScJtum. (syn. Amomum longiscapum, Hook.f.) : leaf- 

 stems not quite I ft. high with lanceolate caudate-acuminate 

 blades with a cordate base, i ft. by 2 2j in., flower-stems 

 with long-peduncled (2 ft.) heads of 2 4 flowers with a crisp- 

 edged labellum, i in. wide ; Cape Palmas, Sckoculcin. 



*A, rostratum, K. Schum. (syn. Amomum cereum, Baker] : leaf-stem 

 up to 6 ft. high and more, with densely crowded lanceolate 



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