BOTANY 



The fruit is a three-valved capsule, rarely a berry, 

 provided with an aril. 



The seeds are 



Fig. 429) supplies Rhizoma 



Geographical Distribution. — The members of the Zingiberaceae are all 

 tropical. They are represented by numerous species and individuals in the 

 forests of South Asia, which they beautify by their magnificent flowers and 

 foliage. Frequently (Alpinia species) the inflorescences spring directly from the 

 rhizome and spread like radiating stars over the ground, or are poised in fiery- 

 red clusters between the two-ranked leaves of the vegetative shoots. In other 

 cases the inflorescences are spikes terminating the vegetative shoots. Many 

 species are cultivated in hot-houses as decorative plants, others are valuable for 

 their aromatic properties, e.g. ginger, cardamom. 



Officinal. — Zingiber officinale (East Indies, 

 Zingiberis ; Curcuma Zedoaria (East Indies), Rhiz. Zedoariae ; Alpinia 

 officinarum (from the island of Hainan, China), Rhiz. Galangae ; Elettaria 

 Cardamomum (East Indies), Fructus Cardamomi. 



Family Cannaceae. — Flowers asymmetrical ; the posterior, inner stamen 



ALONE FERTILE, BEARING ON ONE SIDE A HALF (MONOTHEOIOUS) ANTHER, THE 



OTHER SIDE PETALOID ; THE TWO LATERAL, 

 INNER STAMENS DEVELOPED DISSIMILARLY, 



as staminodia (wing and large reflexed 

 labellum) ; the outer stamens staminodial 

 or absent. Fruit a many-seeded capsule. 

 Embryo atropous (Fig. 430). 



Perennial herbs produced from rhizomes, 

 with large lanceolate leaves and terminal 

 spiked inflorescences. The asymmetry of the 

 flower is due to the peculiar development of 

 the andrcecium, and in particular to the label- 

 lum. In this family the labellum consists of 

 a single staminodium, and not, as in the 

 Zingiberaceae, of two connate staminodia. 



Geographical Distribution. — The 

 species of Carina, the only genus, grow wild 

 in the fields of tropical America ; many are 

 cultivated as ornamental plants. 



Family Marantaceae. — Flowers asymmet- 

 rical ; the inner, posterior stamen alone 

 fertile, bearing on one side a half 

 (monotheoious) anther, the other side 

 f staminodial ; the two lateral, inner 

 Ovary ; fc, calyx ; c, corolla ; I, labellum ; STAMENS DEVELOPED DISSIMILARLY, AS STAMI- 

 s( r3 , the other staminodia ; a, fertile NODIA ; the outer stamens staminodial or 

 stamen ; g, style, (i nat. size.) abseut. Fruit with ONE TO THREE seeds in 



each loculus. Embryo campylotropous. 

 The Marantaceae are medium - sized, or more frequently small herbs with 

 perennial rhizomes. They always have stalked leaves, which are distinguished 

 from those of other Scitamineae by a joint-like swelling of the stalk below the 

 lamina. The flowers, in contrast to those of the other families of this alliance, 

 are often small and insignificant, usually white. In structure they differ from the 

 flowers of the various species of Canna only in the form of the inner staminodia, 



Fig. 430. — Flower of Canna iridijlora. 



