38 dh. II. F. hance's sttpplbmbnt to 



In rice-fl&lds and pools, flowering in July and August, but not 

 common. Found also in the Indian peninsula, in Bengal, as far 

 north as Assam, and in the Malay archipelago. 



34. Alpinia stachyodes, sp. nov. : foliis longe vaginantibiis sessilibus 

 lanceolatis coriaeeis 8-15 poll, longis 1^ poll, latis prseter marginem 

 dense et breviter ciliatum apicemque in acumen lineare tomentosum 

 poUicare productum glaberrimis, ligula scariosa vaginas valide nervo- 

 sas marginante tomentella apice breviter producto rotundato bifido 

 dense ciliato, spica terminal! erecta densa cylindracea SJ poll, longa 

 basi bractea involucrali scariosa lineari ei circiter sequilonga fulta, flo- 

 ribus plerumque ternis circ. f poll, longis sessilibus singulo fasciculo 

 bractea late ovata scariosa exteriore atque duabus tribusve interiori- 

 bus persistentibus cum rachi breviter sericeo-tomentosis stipato, peri- 

 gonio exteriore tomentoso tubuloso apice trilobo lobis ovatis acutis 

 dimidium tubura superantibus, perigonii interioris tubo tenui tomen- 

 tello lobis oblongis cucuUatis dense tomentosis tertio paulo longiore 

 et latiore, labello crispulo deltoideo ssepe bifido basi processibus 2 

 filiformibus lineam longis aucto, stamine labellum paulo superante, 

 ovario dense hirsuto, stylo apice sensim dilatato paulo tdtra antheram 

 1^-linealem immarginatam producto, stigmate cupulato piloso, glan- 

 dulis epigynis parvis oblongis apice rotundatis integris, fructu pisi 

 majoris mole globoso tomentoso pallide flavidulo inllato ecostato pe- 

 ricarpio crustaceo tenui fragili bracteis persistentibus fulto atque 

 perigonio exteriore longo tubuloso rigido marcido coronato, seminibua 

 5-6 mucoso-arillatis saturate einereis plano-convexis plus minus an- 

 gulatis rugulosis basi umbilico brunneo excavato eonspicuo notatis ab 

 ipso vertice secus faciem profunde sulcatis. {Mscsioc. n. 1231 .) 

 „ This interesting plant, gathered by me (I belieye, in the Happy- 

 Valley woods) in June 1857, is represented in my herbarium by 

 two floweriug and one fruiting specimens, unfortunately the 

 upper portion of tie stems only and without rhizome. There is, 

 however, I think, no doubt that it is an entirely new species, 

 most closely allied to, though differing in many points from, 

 Alpinia spicata^ Eoxb. (El, Ind. i. 10. ; Horaninow, Prod. Monog. 

 Scitam. 34). The large, broadly ovate, scarious bracts give the 

 spike a peculiar comose appearance. It has not to my knowledge 

 been foijnd elsewhere, nor been ga,thered in the island by any other 

 collector. The seeds taste very pleasantly, like cardamoms, but 

 with a flaiTOur suggesting the addition of lemon-peel, and would 

 certainly be worth cultivating for medicinal purposes. As, indeed,' 

 it is quite possible that they are coUegted, for this purpose, though 

 the plant differs from any of those described by Loureiro, or men- 



