" AMOMUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM," SONNEHAT. 1 ] 5 



which having been fertilized artificially, were succeeded *by ripe 1872> 

 fruits. 



Now a most interesting point about this plant is its complete 

 identity with a species of Amomum growing in Tropical western 

 Africa. Though Mr. Fleurot's excellent drawings might well 

 have raised suspicions that such was the fact, it was not until 

 my plant flowered that I convinced myself that the Amomum 

 Danielli of Hooker could in no way be distinguished from the Identity of A. 

 A. angustifolium of Sonnerat. A. Danielli, Hook, f., has been w ith A. Dani- 

 figured three times in the last twenty years, 1 yet its similarity eUl - 

 to the Madagascar plant has not been noticed, although of the 

 latter there is in addition to Sonnerat's plate, an excellent 

 drawing in Roxburgh's unpublished collection, now in the 

 herbarium of the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



The West African area of the plant extends along the coast "W. Africa, 

 line from Sierra Leone to Gaboon, and perhaps still further 

 south. Growing over this wide district and under considerable 

 variation of altitude, the plant presents some variations ; the 

 flower is either yellow or red, or has the labellum alone, yellow. 

 The scape is simple or branched, short or long, and varies in the 

 number of fruits it bears ; and the fruits themselves differ much 

 in size according to locality. But the labellum is always narrow 

 and pendulous, and the seeds oblong and highly polished.. The 

 negroes of West Africa eat the pleasantly acidulous pulp of the 

 fruit, and apparently do not use the seeds, but in Mauritius 

 according to Bouton, the latter are chewed to sweeten the 

 breath. 



I have no reason for believing that the fruits of Amomum 

 angustifolium, Sonn., have ever been even an occasional article 

 of export, either from Eastern or Western Africa, and feel quite 

 certain that they never formed a regular object of commerce 

 with Europe. The seeds are weak in aroma and have a dis- 

 agreeable irritating taste, so that they could with no advantage 

 replace the Cardamoms of Malabar or Ceylon. [N. Keperfc. f. 

 Pharm. xxi. 228.] 



i Hooker's Journ. of Bot. IV. (1852) pi. V. sub nom. Amomum Afzelii. 

 Lot. May. tabb. 4764, 5250. 



I 2 



