269 



N. Ord. ZINGIBERACE.E. 



Genus Curcuma,* Linn. Endlicher, Gen. Plant, p. 223. Species 

 about 25, natives of the tropical East Indies. 



269. Curcuma longa, Linn., Sp. Plant., ed. I, p. 2 (1753). 



Turmeric. 



Syn. Amomum Curcuma, Jacq. Curcuma rotunda, Linn. 



Figures. Woodville, t. 252; Rheede, Hort. Malab., xi, t. 11; Jacq., 

 Hort. Vindob., iii, t. 4; Bot. Register, xi, t. 886. 



Description. A perennial herb with a permanent, irregularly 

 rounded or ovate root-stock, which gives off lateral, elongated, 

 cylindrical branches, wrinkled externally, often swelling into 

 fusiform tubercles and emitting numerous roots, when mature 

 brownish externally, deep yellow or orange on section. Leaves 

 all radical, convolute in vernation, when full grown over three 

 feet long, including the long, rather slender petioles which 

 sheath at the base, obovate-lanceolate or -oval, very acute at the 

 apex, gradually attenuated into the petiole, entire, smooth, thin, 

 bright uniform green; midrib very strong and prominent 

 beneath ; the lateral nerves slender, close, nearly straight, coming 

 off the midrib at a very acute angle. Flowering stems from the 

 centre of the tuft of leaves, and appearing before the latter are 

 full grown, about a foot high including the inflorescence which 

 occupies about half its length, cylindrical, stout, solid, pale 

 green, with a few pale sheathing bracts, the upper one larger and 

 somewhat leafy. Flowers sessile, usually in pairs, in the axils of 

 large, concave, spreading bracts, and exceeding them, imbricated in 

 a rather dense spike ; the lower bracts ovate, blunt, saccate at the 

 base, pale green, sometimes tinged with purplish red ; the upper 

 ones empty, forming a terminal tuft (coma), narrower, undulated, 

 white tinged with bright pink (brighter before the inflorescence 



* Curcuma is said to be " from the Persian Kurkum, a name applied also to 

 Saffron." 



