158 



RUMPHIUS'S HERBARIUM AMBOINENSE 



festly the Amboina plant is entirely different from the Cochin- 

 China one that Loureiro described. In this reduction Loureiro 

 was followed by numerous authors. Hasskarl, Neue Schliissel 

 (1866) 174, thought that it might be Amomum aculeatum Roxb., 

 which can scarcely be the correct disposition of it. Donacodes 

 rosea Teysm. & Binn. was based on Amboina specimens, and 

 our material agrees closely with the figure given by K. Schumann 

 in Engler's Pflanzenreich 20 (1904) 230. The Celebes speci- 

 mens described by Gagnepain as Amomum truncatum Gagnep. 

 are certainly conspecific with the Amboina ones, although they 

 have glabrous leaves, while the Amboina specimens have long- 

 ciliate leaves. 



AMOMUM ACRE Val. sp. nov. 



Globba acris Rumph. Herb. Amb. 6: 140. 



Folia? Flores? Ovarium ellipticum sericeum sublaeve. In- 

 florescentia fructifera racemosa simplex elongata densiflora. 

 Rachis valida 10 ad 12 mm crassa. Bracteae persistentes co- 

 riaceae oblongae versus basin attenuatae, inferiores 30 ad 35 

 mm longae 8 ad 10 mm latae valde scariosae versus apicem 

 racemi sensim minores. Bracteolae binae approximatae prope 

 basin pedicelli intervallo brevi insertae ovatae acutae concavae 

 dorso leviter carinatae, valde coriaceae sericeo-tomentosae, 12 

 ad 15 mm longae 6 ad 8 latae. Pedicelli validi 15 ad 20 mm 

 longi, 2 ad 3 mm crassi bracteis breviores, sericei. l^ructus late 

 ellipsoidei (30X20 mm) utrinque attenuati, apice breviter 

 rostrati et in calycem coriaceum persistentem ad basin usque 

 trifidum, segmentis 10 ad 15 mm longis apice spinulosis, ex- 

 currentes, pericarpio carnoso-coriaceo spinis compressis e basi 

 lata acute trigonis 1 ad 2 mm altis, verticaliter subseriatis haud 

 densis obsesso, triloculares septis tenuibus seminibus numerosis 

 arillatis conglutinatis. 



This species is very closely allied to Amomum roseum (T. & 

 B.) Benth. & Hook. f. (see p. 157). The infructescence of the 

 latter resembles very much that of Amomum acre, but is smaller 

 in all parts except the bracts, which are longer, not scariose; 

 and end in a spinous point. Also the spines of the fruit are 

 much denser near the apex of the fruit. This species is repre- 

 sented in the Buitenzorg herbarium by fruiting specimens from 

 Macassar, Celebes, where the plant still bears the Malay name 

 panas, as cited by Rumphius. It seems to be near Amomum 

 roseum Benth. & Hook. f. Hasskarl, Neue Schliissel (1866) 

 175, thought that it might be Amomum uliginosum Koenig; 

 this is manifestly an erroneous reduction of it. 



