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THE SCITAMINEZ OF THE MALAY PENINSULA. 87 
fruits of a few species of Amomum, e. g. A. uliginosum, are eaten 
also by Sakais. The buds of Hornstedtia imperialis are also 
popular as curry-stuffs among the Malays, and the fruit of the com- 
monest of our wild plantains, Musa Malaccensis is quite eatable, 
though it is small and full of seed, Indeed I believe that this 
plant is the parent of several of the local cultivated Pisangs. 
‘he wild plantains also give a very good fibre from the leaf 
sheaths, though it is not by any means as good as thai of the 
Manilla hemp (Musa textilis). The stout stems of the Bemban 
(Clinogyne) split up, are used for making baskets, and I found 
that the leaf stems of the bigger Gingers, (Hornstedtia), beaten 
up and treated with caustic potash, formed a very good paper 
stuff, and might be used for that purpose, if there was sufficient 
demand for it. : 
GROUPS. 
Fertile stamen one : with two cells. Aromatic. Zingiberacee. 
45 with one cell, Not aromatic. Marantacee. 
Fertile stamens 5. Calyx lobes long, lip large, small plants 
Lowiacee. 
3 Calyx, and corolla sheath-like, lip small, 
very large plants Musacee. 
SYNOPSIS OF ZINGIBERACEA, 
Staminodes broad and petaloid, Spike or panicle terminal. 
1. Globba. Stamen much longer than the corolla, slender. 
Lip adnate to it above the corolla. 
-2. Hedychium. Stamen long and slender. Lip not ad- 
nate above the corolla. 
3. Camptandra. Stamen short, anther dorsifixed ver- 
satile. Staminodes much broader than corolla, flat. 
4. Kempferia. Anther cells on a broad thin connective. 
Staminodes much broader than corolla, flat. 
5. Gastrochiius. Staminodes not broader than corolla lobes. 
Anther thick terminal. Spike terminal or radical cylindric. 
6. Curcuma. Staminodes not broader than corolla lobes, 
Flowers in a cone-like spike radical. 
7. Conamomum. Staminodes smaller than corolla lobes, 
anther with long curved arms. Spikes radical. 
