THE SCITAMINEZX OF THE MALAY PENINSULA. 123 
Perak Hills. Maxweil’s Hill. (Curtis 2714; Ridley 5190): 
Gunong Batu Puteh( Wray 1013). 
CosTUs. 
This genus has its headquarters in South America, anda 
number of species occur also in Africa. In Asia it is much ra- 
rer, though one species C. speciosus perhaps the finest in the whole 
genus occurs over the whole of tropical Asia. Two other 
species occur in the peninsula. Itis one of the best marked 
genera in the whole order. The stems are tall and woody with 
the leaves arranged in a spiral, and in some species the stem 
itself grows spirally. Unlike any other genus except the allied 
Tapeinocheilus from New Guivea, the stems frequently branch. 
The ligule of the leaf forms a complete ring highest at a point 
nearest to the petiole, below which is sometimes a thin elevated 
ring fringed with hairs. The spike is terminal or rises directly 
from the rhizome with stiff sometimes spiny bracts. ‘The calyx 
is tubular with usually distinct lobes. The corolla tube broad 
and no longer than the calyx, the lobes large lanceolate or 
oblong. There are no staminodes, nor stylodes. The lip is 
large obovate, and rolled into a trumpet shape. 
Tbe stamen is very broad and thin with the linear anther 
cells placed some way down and the apex curved up. The cap- 
sule is woody splitting on one side exposing a number of black 
angular seeds. 
Costus speciosus Smith. Trans. Linn. Soc. i. 249. Bak. l.c. 250. 
C, arabicus Jacq. Ic. t. i. Hellenta grandiflora Retz. Observ. VI 
68. Banksia speciosa Koen. Retz. Obs. iii. 75. 
Stems about 10 feet tali and 4 to one inch through covered 
with dull brown sheaths, often spiral, branched above. Leaves 
oblong acuminate cuspidate 9 inches long, 3 inches wide above 
dark green glabrous, beneath more or less pubescent, petiole 4 
inch long thick pubescent, ligule short surrounding the stem 
emarginate opposite the leaf ciliate reddish. Spike ovate or 
oblong terminal, very rarely from the rhizome attaining a length 
of six inches, many flowered, flowers solitary in the bracts 
large showy and fugacious. bracts, ovate mucronate not pun- 
gent red # inch long, upper ones smaller cartilaginous. Inner 
