MARANTA ARUNDINACEA. 
MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
SECT. I. CANNE. 
Gen. Cuar.—Anther single, attached to the margin of the petal-like filament; style tubular; stigma deflexed, 
trilobate ; capsule ovate; seed rugose, single. 
Spec. Cuar.—Root long, tuberous, farinaceous ; stem radical, herbaceous, downy, deciduous ; leaves lanceolate-acute, 
inzequilateral, slightly downy on both the upper and under surface; petioles of the lower leaves 
long, with a paler ganglion ;_ seed single, rugose. 
Syy.—Canna Indica, radice alba alexipharmica, Sloane Jam. 22, par. 1, Pp. 253, tab. 149, fig. 2. 
Maranta arundinacea, Lin. Willd. 1, 13. Roemer & Schultes. Maranta, sp. 1. 
Maranta arundinacea, Smith, in Rees’ Cyclopedia. 
Maranta arundinacea, Sims, Bot. Mag. No. 2307. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Root tuberous, succulent, tapering towards the stem, frequently six inches long, covered with large scales ; 
stems rising from the smaller end of the tuberous root, erect, herbaceous, 4—5 feet high, slightly covered with a soft 
down ; leaves alternate, broad-lanceolate-acute, frequently cordate at the base, ineequilateral, sericeous or downy on 
both sides; petioles of the lower leaves long, terminating next the leaf in a pallid ganglion ; branches dividing in 
pairs jointed at every division; panicle terminal, dichotomous; peduncles in pairs, downy, declined; common 
bracte linear-lanceolate, slightly hairy, grooved or striated, green; inner bracte lanceolate, membranous; calyx in 
three deep, lanceolate, equal segments; corolla in two limbs; outer limb in three segments, equal, ovate, intire, 
obtuse ; inner limb in three segments, two upper segments erect, equal, ovate, intire; lower segment or lip ovate, 
slightly bifid, the whole corolla pure white; filament erect, petal-like, hooded, before impregnation covering the 
style; anther attached to the margin of the filament, single; style tubular, compressed, recurved; stigma 
ringent, three-lobed ; capsule ovate, hairy, one-celled ; seed single, angular, rugose, perforated with cavities. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Considerable difficulty has arisen in distinguishing the true arundinacea from another species nearly allied to 
it, and which also produces the valuable farinaceous substance called arrow-root. Both these species are grown in 
the Botanic Garden at Liverpool, where they have flowered, and ripened their seeds. In order to distinguish them, 
it may be sufficient to observe, that the lower leaves of the arundinacea are broad, and frequently cordate towards 
the base, tapering towards the extremity, and terminating in a sharp point; those of the other species are longer, 
inclined to a linear shape, and terminating more obtusely. All the leaves of the former are downy on both sides, 
whilst those of the latter are smooth, except a line of thin hairs on each side of the mid-rib, on the under side of 
the leaf. In the former the ganglions are paler than the petiole; in the latter they are darker, and of a dusky 
brown. ‘The filament is also broader in the latter species, and the corolla is larger on the whole. After these 
striking discrepancies, it is not possible they should be again confounded. 
The MV. arundinacea appears to be the plant described by Sloane, but not that of Martyn, Pl. Rar. Dec. iv. p. 39. 
which, from the following passage, is most probably our latter species. After observing that his plant was brought 
from La Vera Crux, by Houston, to the Chelsea Garden, he adds, “ Huic persimilis esse videtur, atque eadem 
forsan judicanda planta, quam in Historia sua Canne Indicoe nomine, radice alexipharmica descripsit Clarissimus 
