ZINGIBER CASSUMUNAR. 
MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
en ee 
SECT. II. SCITAMINER. 
EN. Coar.—Anther double; filament extending beyond the anther in a subulate grooved beak, embracing the style. 
Sprc. Cuar.—Scape radical, lateral, invested in a series of downy sheaths ; spikes strobiliform; bractes sub-orbicular, 
purpurescent, villous towards the apex; outer limb of the corolla pale straw-colour ; lip deeply 
divided in two lobes, crenate. 
Syv.—Zingiber Cassumunar. Row. in As. Res. v. xi. 347. Flor. Ind. i. p. 3. 
Bun ada. Hind. & Beng. (wild ginger.) Ibid. 
Karpushpoo. Teling. (small Turmeric.) bid. 
Zingiber Cassumunar. Smith, in Rees’ Cyclop. 
Zingiber purpureum. Roscoe, in Trans. Lin. Soc. v. viii. p. 348. 
Zingiber purpureum. Roemer § Schultes, v. i. p. 24. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Root perennial, with large, jointed, striated, oblong tubers, of a deep orange colour within, and 
numerous, long, white, succulent fibres, striking deeply into the earth; stems simple, annual, from 4 to 6 feet 
high ; leaves alternate, sessile, distic, linear-lanceolate, from 12 to 18 inches long, dark green, and smocth above; 
paler and villous below; sheathing of the leaves slightly hairy, with sharply ciliated margins ; scape lateral, 
from 12 to 14 inches high, with 5 or 6 imbricated, ferruginous, villous bractes ; spike an oblong cone, closely 
imbricated by a series of large, broad, ferruginous villous bractes, with paler membranous margins, ciliated towards 
the apex; inner bracte broad ovate, bifid; calyx superior, sheathing the tube of the corolla three-fourths 
its length, opening obliquely, smooth, white; outer limb of corolla in three segments, unequal, the upper section 
erect, boat-shaped, projecting over the beaked filament, the two under sections narrow, linear, equal, extending 
under and supporting the lip; inner limb or lip in three lobes, the lateral lobes equal, ovate, but terminating in 
an acute apex, the central lobe much larger, deeply bifid, and emarginate or crenate at the apex; the intire 
flower of a pale sulphur colour; filament projecting beyond the anther, in a subulate grooved beak; anther 
double, lobes grooved; style slender, supported at the base by the usual two subulate processes ; stigma a small 
concave, simple orifice. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
“ The roots of this species had long been introduced into the Materia Medica, as a powerful stimulant and 
tonic in hysteric, paralytic, and other nervous disorders, possessing a warm bitterish flavour, with the smell of 
ginger; but they have long gone out of use.” Smith in Rees. “It is a native of Coromandel, Bengal and Bahar; 
flowering time July and August; seed ripe in November and December.” Rowb. in Fl. Ind. It is said to have 
been introduced into the English stoves by Sir Joseph Bankes, in 1796. A plant of it was received at the Botanic 
Garden at Liverpool, soon after its establishment, when, being unaccompanied by a name, it received the 
specific appellation of purpureum, (v. Rose. in Trans. Lin. Soc. v. viii. p. 348,) by which ae been since cited as 
a different species from Cassumunar, but which must now be excluded from the list se species. 
The present drawing was made from a plant in the Liverpool Botanic Garden, which flowered in August, 1823. 
REFERENCES. 
{. Outer bracte. 
2. Inner bracte. 
3. Calyx. 
4. Intire flower. 
. Germen and processes, style and stigma. 
. Capsule. 
