— 138 — 

 -■- 



Distribution, 



Java: West Java, rat. Salak, 1400 M. virg. forest. (BACKER no. 9350, 

 honje ngoser (sund ) „Involucre appressed yellow-green. Labellum bright 

 orange red Corolla red Anther red. Stigma red. Peduncle 0 75 M.) Mt. 

 Salak, about 500 M (Heyne, Honje warak. „Bract et bracteola white, 

 membranous, at last brownish Calyx incarnate tip marcescent. Petals rose, 

 Labellum orange. Anther and stigma red") Buitenzorg. (cult, XI B V 82). 



The here described plant was collected two times on the declivities of 

 mt. Salak, wild growing in virginal forest It resembles the type of Nico- 

 laia solaris Hor. in general aspect and in most details but differs from it 

 by the following rather constant characteristics: 



le In N. solaris the peduncle is procumbent and bent upward with 

 its upper end, so the flowerhead is lying on the earth, in the variety the 

 peduncle is erect more or less flexuose 150—200 mm. long. 



2e. In N. solaris the flower bracts terminate in a 20 mm. long subu- 

 late acumen the calyx ends in 3 discrete lanceolate and mucronate teeth 

 produced above the bud. In the variety the same but acumen only half 

 as long, the calyx-teeth often connected. 



3e. In N. solan's the lip is dark red with a yellow border, as in 

 most species of this genus. In the variety the lip and inner tube are in 

 tensely orange coloured, the anther dark rose, the petals incarnate, the 

 calyx incarnate. 



Plate 6. 



Fig. 1. Inflorescence, 2 3 n.s - Fig. 2. Flower (to short) with calyx and bracteole, 

 n.s. — Fig. 3. Flower, bracteole and upper half of calyx removed, n.s, — Fig. 4. Flower 

 seen from lop, n.s. — Fig. 5 and 6. Stamen, enl.— Fig. 7. Pistillum, n.s. — Fig. 8. Stigma, 

 enl. — Fig. 9. Stylodes, enl.— Fig. 10. Flower explicate, n.s. — Fig. 11. Calyx, n.s.— 

 Fig 12. Bracteole, n.s. 



Nicolaia speciosa HORAN. Monogr. ( 1682) 32.— Elettaria speciosa Bl. 

 Enum pi. Jav. (1827) p. 51.— Alpinia magnified Rose. Mon. pl. (1828) 

 t. 75. Bot, Mag. t 3892— Amonuun magnificum BENTH. et HOOK. 1. c— 

 Pkaeomeria Lindl. Introd. Nat. Syst. (1836):— Nicolaia imperiüis HORAN, 

 Monogr. (1862) 32 t 1— Mornstcdtia imperialis RlDL. in Journ. As. soc. 

 Straits branch Vol XXXII (1899) 148; Mat. (1907) 40.— Alpinia clatior 

 HOOKER Journ. of Bot. i 359; JACK Mai. misc. HI n. VII [1822].— Nicolaia 

 magnified K. SCH. VAL. in Bull. Inst. bot. Buitenz. (1904) No. XX p 35.— 

 Olobba silvestris salira RuMf'H. H. Amb. 6: 141.— Elettaria antlwdiotdes 

 T. et B. teste RlDL.— Comp Ph pyramidataK.SCH.\.c.— N.hemispliaerica 

 (an BLUME?) T. et B. Cat. 1866. 



Distribution. 



Java: West Java. In the hilly regions at the foot of Mt. Salak, in 

 secundary forest Wild and cultivated, common, many collectors. Tjiandjoer 

 in Mt. Sangaboewana, 750 M. (BACKER no. 23757;. Djasinga, near Bui- 



