11 



Specimens of Ginger from the East and West Indies, Africa, CASK 

 &c., are exhibited. ^ 



Note Preserved Ginger, the young shoots of the rhizome 

 peeled and preserved in syrup ; observe also rhizomes of Green 

 Ginger, known as races or hands, and a fine specimen in fluid 

 of Chinese Green Ginger, cultivated in the Delta of the Canton 

 River. 



No. 13. Galangal Root. The rhizome of Alpinia 

 ojficinarum, Hance. A plant cultivated in the Island of 

 Hainan in the south of China, and, as is supposed, in some of 

 the southern provinces of the Chinese Empire. It has a strong, 

 pungent, and spicy taste, and an agreeable aroma, and is con- 

 sidered an aromatic stimulant. The Greater Galangal, the 

 rhizome of Alpinia Galanga, Willd., sometimes appears in the 

 London drug market, and is substituted for that of A. offici- 

 narum ; it may, however, be distinguished by its much larger 

 size and pale buff colour internally. 



No. 14. Fresh rhizome in fluid of Siamese Ginger, fur- 

 nished by Alpinia Galanga, Willd. 



Note rhizomes of Alpinia nutans, Rose, found in Burma, 

 Sylhet, and on the Coromandel coast, and often cultivated in 

 Indian gardens. The rhizome is used in India as a substitute 

 for Galangal, and sometimes for Ginger. 



No. 15. Carib. Baskets, from Dominica, made of the CASE 

 split stems of Ischnosiphon Arotima, Korn. ; also a Suriana 5. 

 for carrying burdens on the back, made from the same material 

 in British Guiana, where the plant is known as the Iturite. 



A Quake, or Indian basket, from British Guiana, is also 

 shown, made of the split stems of the MuCRO {Ischnosiphon 

 pleurispicatus, Korn.). 



Observe also baskets and sieves from the Rio Uaupes, made 

 of split stems of a species of Mara7ita. 



No. 16. Arrowroot. The starch from the rhizomes of 

 Maranta arundinacea, L., an herbaceous plant 4 to 6 feet 

 high, native of Tropical America, Brazil, and the West Indian 

 Islands, and under a slightly different form, which has been 

 described as M. indica, Juss. ; it is found in Bengal, Java, 

 and the Philippine Islands. For the manufacture of Arrowroot 

 the rhizomes, of which fine samples are shown, are dug up 

 after having attained full maturity; they are next washed 

 to remove the scales with which they are covered, and then 



