SCITAMINE^. COl 



very short. Stigma subemarginate. Capsule pulpy, many(-9everal)-8eeded, irregularly 

 loculiclrle. — Rhizoma creeping ; flowers in a terminal raceme, ettpported by a tubular, or 

 sheathing bractlet, 



* Scape lateral, at the base of the sterile stem. 



1. B. sylvestris, Gr. Scape radical, glabrous ; leaves lanceolate-oblong, pointed : 

 petiole produced beyond the ligule; raceme dense, spiciform : bracts l-flowered, oblong, 

 blunt, or bluntish, about as long as the shortly pedicellate, yellow flower : tabular bractlet 

 obliquely truncate, half as long as the 3-dentate calyx ; corolla-lobes obovate, shorter than 

 the tube: labellum shortly exserted, broadly obovate, entire, a&aXt ; filament as broad as 

 the anther; capsule ovoid. — SI. t. 105./ 3.— Amomum, 6'w. .' — Scape I'-IJ', sterile stem 

 4'-8' high ; leaves 24'-!', coloured bracts about li", pedicels l"'-3"', calyx 1" long.— Hab. 

 Jamaica !, Sw., Pd., Al., Wullsohl., in moist woods, S. Georges, Manchester, 



2. B. bracteosa, Or. {n. sp.). Scape radical, pubescent; leaves large, oblong, mu- 

 oronate, tapering toward the ligule ; raceme lax : brads l-flowered, lanceolate-linear, twice 

 as long as thefiower, superior decrescent: tubular bractlet ventricose, broadly and shortly 

 i-fid, much longer than the pedicel, about as long as the broadly 3-dentate calyx, pubescent ; 

 corolla-lobes oblong-oval, shorter than the tube : labellum subincluded, entire ; filament 

 narrower than the anther ; capsule ovoid. — R. spec, Eosc. : his characters given at the end 

 of the description of B. exaltata, L., agree perfectly. — Scape li'-2' high ; leaves 3'-4' long, 

 6" broad ; inferior bracts 3i"-2i", pedicels 3"', calyx 10"'-12"' long.— Hab. Dominica !, 

 Imr.; [Guadeloupe!]. 



3. B. occvdentalis, Gr. Scape radical, hispidulous-pubescent chietiy at the rhachis and 

 at the pedicels ; leaves lanceolate-oblong, mucronate-acuminate, narrowly tapering toward the 

 ligule ; raceme long, usually compound with short branches ; bracts lanceolate, deciduous, 

 inferior, many-'i-fiowered, longer than the flowers, superior decrescent : tubular bractlet ob- 

 liquely truncate, blunt, little exceeded by the calyx, about twice as long as the pedicels ; 

 calyx ventricose, Z-fid : lobes oval, blunt; corolla-lobes obovate, as long as their slender 

 tube ; " iabellnra exserted, emarginate ;" capsule ovoid. — Alpiuia, Sw. A. jamaicensis, 

 Gdrtn. t. 12. sec. Sw. — Scape li'-3' high, sterile stems much higher; leaves 2-1' long, 

 44"-2" broad ; lowest bracts li", pedicels 2"', calyx 4"'-5"' long, " the latter purpurascent ; 

 corolla yellow." 



a. Raceme compound : most branches many-flowered ; pedicels upward one-sided. — Habit 

 of M. aromatica (Alpiuia, Jacq. Fragm. t. 74, 75) of Haiti, said to have globose capsules ; 

 both ai'e confounded by Roscoe. 



(3. Para secora (Alpinia, Jacq. Fragm. t. 76). Raceme simple : most bracts l-flowered, 

 lowest 2-flowered. — Perhaps a distinct species. 



Hab. Jamaica !, Wils., March (j3) ; S. Vincent I, Guild, (o, j8, Jacq.) ; [Cuba ! (o), Gua- 

 deloupe ! (a) ; Panama !, New Granada !]. 



** Raceme terminal; labellum S-lobed. 



4. B. racemosa, liosc. Leaves lanceolate-oblong, shortly acuminate : petiole shortly 

 produced beyond the ligule ; raceme terminal, lax, exceeded by the uppermost leaves : 

 rhachis and pedicels glabrous ; bracts 3-1 -flowered, most (except the lowest) exceeded by 

 the flowers, lanceolate-linear, bluntish ; calyx shortly 3-dentate, twice as long as the ob- 

 liquely truncate, tubular bractlet ; corolla-lobes spathulate, as long as the tube : labellum 

 obovate-3-lobed ; filament shortly filiform; capsule ovoid-globose. — SI. I. 105./. 1. — 

 Alpinia, Sw., L. (ex parte). A. autiUana, B. 5'.— Stem 2'-3'^high; leaves 8"-10" long, 2" 

 broad ; bracts " red," lowest 1", pedicels 2'", calyx 5'" long ; corolla white.— Hab. Jamaica !, 

 all coll., in moist woods ; [Cuba I and Mexico I to Peru !] 



5. B. caribeea, Gr. Leaves broadly lanceolate-oblong, pointed, tapeiing as far as to 

 the ligule ; raceme terminal, las, exceeded by the uppermost leaves : rhachis and pedicels 



pubescent; bracts 3-1 -flowered, oblong-linear, bluntish; calyx clavate, bluntly 3-d; iitate, 

 about as long as the common, distant, sheathing bractlet ; corolla-lobes spathulate : labellum 

 obovate-3-lobed ; filament shortly filiform; capsule ovoii.— Plum. Ed. Burm. t. 20. 

 Gartn Fruct t. 12 : the capsule.— Alpinia, Gartn. A. racemosa, R. S. (ex parte). — 

 Leaves li'-l' long, 4"-8" broad ; inferior bracts 2"-li", calyx 8'", capsule 6'" long.— Hab. 

 Dominica!, Imr. 



