86 THE SCITAMINEZA OF THE MALAY PENINSULA. 
an elaborate contrivance for insect fertilization which cannot — 
easily be explained without diagrams. In the Cannas (Can- 
nacee) four of the stamens are petaloid and the fifth bears an 
anther cell on its edge. These plants are self-fertilized in 
bud. No Cannas are really wild here but one or two have 
escaped from cultivation. The Zingiberacee have a single com- 
plete stamen only, the rest being either entirely suppressed 
except one which forms the lip, or two more may appear as 
petal-like lobes or horns or teeth, (Staminodes). The ovary is 
tbree-celled in most of the order, but bears only one style, which 
is however three-lobed in Zowiaceew, showing its origin from 
three styles. In all the Zingiberacee but one or two genera, 
there are at the base of the corolla tube, two small processes, 
the stylodes, which are probably the remains of the other styles, 
or possibly some of the lost stamens. Their function is appar- 
ently to secrete nectar which fills the bottom of the tube. The 
flowers of nearly all are fertilized by bees, or sometimes flies. 
The spikes, racemes or panicles are borne on leafy stems or 
spring directly from the rhizome, the leaves being borne on 
different stems. Asa rule plants growing in dense jungle have 
the flowers close to the ground on short leafless stems, while 
those which grow on river banks or open spaces hare them on 
the ends of leafy stems. The fruits of the different groups do 
not differ much, except in the case of the Musas, which have 
the well known Banana fruit, the rest have capsules of two or 
more seeds (in Donaz there is often but one seed). The 
seeds are usually enclosed in a sweet aril, and in the Zingiberacee 
are usually very aromatic. The fruits are seldom conspicuous, 
and often only dull green in color. This is especially the case 
with those which fruit near the ground, the seeds of which are 
distributed by mice and squirrels who eat the sweet pulp (aril) 
surrounding the seed. The fruits of some of the terminal spiked 
species, ¢.g. Alpinia, are orange and showy, and theseeds dispersed 
by birds. 
USES. The Zingiberacee are nearly all very aromatic, and 
many have very strongly flavoured root-stocks, which are used as 
spices. Among these the Ginger, Turmeric, and Zedoary, and 
Galangal are commonly cultivated here, and many of the wild 
Globbas, and Amomums are used in native medicine. The 
