ALPINIA. 



purpliili-black, with numerous tunicated yt'c^/. This fpecies 

 was railed from feed by A. B. Lambert, efq. at Bovton, in 

 Wiltihire, where it flowered very finely ; but it is faid to 

 have been previoufly fent by Mr. Peter Good to Kew, in 

 1796. 



5. A. alha. White Alpiiiia. Rofc. Tr. of Linn. Soc. 

 y. 8. 346. (HeUenia alba ; Willd. Sp. PL v. i. 5. He- 

 ritiera alba; Retz. Obf. fafc. 6. 18. Languas vulgare ; 

 Keen, in Retz. Obf. fafc. 3. 64.) — duller panicled. 

 Calyx bell-(haped, three-lobed. Lip two-lobed. Leaves 

 callous and fringed at the margin. — Native of China ;■ culti- 

 vated in the Eaft Indies. Koenig terms tbjs plant Galanga 

 alba, and fpeaks of it as in much ufe among the Malays. 

 The roots are white, thicker than the thumb. SUms taller 

 tlian-a man, tuberous at the bottom, a little drooping at the 

 top. Leaves about eighteen inches long, and hardly three 

 broad, tw^o-ranked, fmooth on both fides ; their edges cal- 

 lous, whitilh, and rather rough with hairs. Five or fix of 

 the lower Jheaths are unaccompanied by leaves. Clujler 

 oblong, with fmooth ftalks, except the partial ones, which 

 are rather hairy. BraBeas lanceolate, acute, rufty-coloured, 

 deciduous. Calyx with fnow-white fegmci.ts. Outer hmb 

 of. the corolla greeniih-white ; lip inverfely heart-fhaped, 

 deeply two-lobed, jagged and crifped at the margin, white, 

 with fine rofe-coloured veins. Capfule fcarlet, membranous, 

 ratlier rigid, ftriated. Koenig's fiill and correct defcriptioii 

 of the flower, leaves no doubt as to the genus of this plant, 

 though we have feen no fpecimens. 



6. A. ch'inenju. Chinefe Alpinia. Rofc. Tr. of Lian. 

 Soc. V. 8. 346. (Hellenia chinenfis ; Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. 5. 

 Heritiera chinenfis; Retz. Obf. fafc. 6. 18. Languas 

 chinenfis; Keen, in Retz. Obf. fafc. 3. 65.) — Clufter pa- 

 nicled. Calyx bell-(haped, three-toothed, obtufe. Lip 

 emarginate, finely-toothed. Leaves recurved at the point ; 

 membranous, ana fringed with fcattered hairs, at the mar- 

 gin. — Native of China ? where at leaft it is cultivated, for 

 medical ufe, in gardens. Root aromatic, with an acrid 

 burning flavour, white, as thick as the middle finger. Stems 

 two or three feet high, a little drooping at the fummit. 

 Leaves a fpan long, and two inches or two inches and a half 

 broad, with a white rib and margin. Clujler narrow, three 

 or four inches long, its ftalks more or lefs clothed with 

 clgfe-preflfed hairs. Calyx green. Corolla yellowifli ; the lip 

 marked with a broad orange-coloured longitudinal ftripe, and 

 tranfverfs waves of the fame colour, accompanied by four 

 blood-red veins. Fruit a capfule. Kanig. 



7. A. aquatica. Water Alpinia. Rofc. Tr. of Linn. 

 Soc. V. 8. 346. (Hellenia aquatica ; Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. 5. 

 Heritiera aquatica ; Retz. Obf. fafc. 6. 18. Languas aqua- 

 ticum, 1. fylveftre ; Keen, in Retz. Obf. fafc. 3. 67.) — 

 Panicle fomewhat drooping at the top, with forked 

 branches. Calyx bell-lhaped, three-toothed. Lip four- 

 toothed, ereft ; its lateral teeth with an oblong gland at the 

 bafe, on each fide. — Found in marfhy places, among 

 bufties, by the fides of rivulets in the Eaft Indies, but not 

 ver)' common. Roots numerous, thread-fiiaped, white, 

 fending forth runners. Stem about four feet in height, 

 leafy, as thick as the finger. Leaves oblong, acute, coria- 

 ceous, of a beautiful green ; rather roughJy ilriated on the 

 upper fide ; fmooth at the back ; the margin befet with 

 minute callous teeth. Panicle flender, with two deciduous 

 braaeas at the bafe ; fo-wer-ftalis forked, two-flowered, 

 divaricated, round, fmooth, white, fliorter than the flowers. 

 Rracleas two or three, attached to the lower flower-ftalks, 

 linear-lanceolate, concave, membranous, whitiih, deciduous. 

 Calyx fmooth, pure white, fometimes fplit at the inner 

 .ide. Corolla white. Lip fmall, brown on the inner fide, 



rofe-coloured near its union witii the filament, ylnther 

 reddifti, crowned with a fmall, coloured, ered, femi-orbi- 

 cular membrane. Berry oval, fmooth, black. Seeds five 

 or more, triangular. Kcenig. The membrane crowning the 

 anther forms a fmall exception to the generic charaifter, but 

 can hardly invahdate it, or require the eftablifhment of a 

 feparate genus ; unlefs the frudification, when examined 

 according to our prefent advanced knowledge, Ihould afford 

 other diftinftive marks. 



8. A. malaccenfis. Malacca Alpinia. Rofc. Tr. of 

 Linn. Soc. v. 8. 345. Roxb. n. 3. (Maranta ? malaccen- 

 fis; Willd. Sp. PI. V.I. 14. Burm. Ind. 2. Galanga 



malaccenfis; Rumph. Amboin. v. 5. 176. t. 71. f. i.) 



Clufter fim.ple, erect. Leaves villous beneath. Lip 

 broader than long, toothed, concave, obfcurely three- 

 lobed ; lateral lobes incurved Native of Chittagong, 



from whence it was brought to the botanic garden at 

 Calcutta, and flowers there in April and May. " This," 

 fays Dr. Roxburgh, " is the moft ftately.and moft beautiful 

 of our Scitamineous plants. The Jlotuers are particu- 

 larly large ; the bradeas, and exterior limb of the corolla, 

 pure, fmooth, lucid wliite ; the large lip variegated with 

 crimfon a.id yellow." Stem from twelve to fifteen feet high, 

 villous. Leaves eighteen or twenty inches loi;g, the 

 breadth of five or fix fingers, filky or downy beneadi. 

 Flowers about twelve, alternate. Rumphius, Burmarn. 

 This has not yet found its way to England, wtiere it would 

 doubtlefs be a great acquifition, as, by the above defcrip- 

 tion, it feems to excel the magnificence and beauty of the 

 following. 



9. A. nutans. Drooping Alpinia. Rofc. Tr. of Linn. 

 Soc. v. S. 346. Sm. Exot. Bot. v. 2. 93. t. 106. Roxb. 

 n. 4. Ait. n. 4. (Globba nutans; Linn. Mant. 2. 170. 

 Willd. Sp. PI. v. I. 153. Redout. Lihac. t. 60. G. fyl-, 

 veftris ; Rumph. Amboin. v. 6. 14c. t. 62, 63. Reneal- 

 mia nutans ; Andr. Repof. t. 360. Edwards t. I. Thomt. 

 lUuftr. t. 13. Zerumbet fpeciofum ; Wendl. Sert. Han- 

 nov. t. 19. .lacq. Fragm. Bot. t. 68.) — Clufter fomewhat 

 compound, drooping. Leaves fmooth on both fides. Lip 

 inflated, crifped. Calyx irregularly toothed, tumid, burft- 



ing at one fide Native of the interior parts of Bengal. 



Roxburgh. Alfo of Amboyna, and other places. It was 

 introduced into the Englifti ftoves, in 1792, by fir Jofeph 

 Banks, and flowering a few years after, excited the admira- 

 tion of all beholders. The number of figures of this plant 

 which have been pubhftied, prove it a general fawiurite. 

 The tuberous odorous root is fometimes, as Dr. Roxburgh 

 aflerts, brought to England for Galanga major ; fee n. 2. 

 Stem from five to eight feet high in Indiai but with us twelve 

 to eighteen, perennial, ereft, as thick as the finger, leafy. 

 Leaves a foot long or more, with long iheaths, each flieath 

 crowned with a.Jlipula which is externally filky. The Jlo'jjer- 

 buJs before they expand are of a fliiaing white, tinged 

 with rofe-colour, and are enveloped in large, concave, 

 toothed bra&eas of the fame porcelain-like fplendid white- 

 nefs, all together compofing a denfe pendulous clujler, like 



a bunch of oblong grapes. When the Jlowers open, they 

 difplay the magnificent concave lip yellow at the margin, 

 internally variegated and ftreaked witli ever)' (hade of cnm- 

 fon. The Jlamen and its anther are ftiort and tliick. Gtr- 

 men hairy. Capfule fpherical, opening at the fides. Seeds 

 aromatic, as is likewife the young gemien. Linnaeus has 

 greatly confounded the hiftory of tliis plant, with which he 

 had no acquaintance but from the work of Rumphius. 

 Yet he fubfequently cited the Came fynonym and figures 

 under his Renealmia exaltata, which is indeed an Jlpmia, as 

 we fliall prcfenUy Ihew, but. a widely different fpeaes. 

 O o 2 The 



