550 DESCRIPTION OF 



Leaves spirally arranged round the upper half of the stems, sub sessile, 

 oblong, cLispidate, very downy ;Mnderneath ; length from 6 to 15 inches. 

 Spike a single, oblong, firm one, crowns the top of each stem, imbri- 

 cated with numerous, exterior, ovate, concave^ hard, polished, pointed, 

 one-flowered, permanent bracles^ or scales.; colour green, ferruginous, or 

 red, but all become bright red by the time the seeds are ripe; besides 

 these, each flower has a smaller interior, boat-shaped bracte, embracing 

 the left side of the 3-cleft calyx, which also becomes red by age. Corol 

 large, pure white, with a faint blush of pink ; inodorous ; the inner border 

 resembles the limb ©f the flower of Convolvulus sepium, hut heiit out in a 

 recurved direction, and with the margin elegantly laciniate-dentate. F/- 

 iame?it lanceolate, incumbent over the mjddle of the inner border, back 

 clothed with much, long, soft, white hair:: nearly to its centre, on the un- 

 derside, is attached the oblong double anther. Style shorter than the fila- 

 ment. . Stigma large, bilabiate, ^and even with the apex of the anther. 

 Capsule s-sided, smooth, hard, deep red, crowned with the still perfedlj 

 permanent, rigid^ coloured calyx, 3-celled, 3-valved, opening on the sides„ 

 S-eeds numerous, angular, black, smooth. Perisperm conform to the seed^ 

 pure white, and cartilaginous. Vitellus thin and closely embracing, like 

 a case, all but the base of the embryo, Which is central, cylindric, and as 

 long as the perisperm^ with it^ truncate radicle close to the umbilicus. 



9. ALPINIA,. 



^SN. Char. CoroZ with interior border unilabiate. ^Mf/^er double, naked, (un^ 

 crowned. ) Capsule berried;, 3-celied. Seeds a few, or numerouSj arilled. 



The plants which come under this definition, form" a good natural 

 genus ; for besides the common character ,ff the family, the other affinities 

 df the individuals which compose it, are peculiarly striking, viz. - 



