An analogous inflorescence is only to be found in Hitchenia. 



The staminal apparatus consists of the stamen accompanied on either 

 side by a petaloid staminodium, connate sideways with the filament near 

 its base, and of the labellum which is applied and a little adnate with its 

 margins to the edges of the staminodes and consists of a large petaloid 

 obovate or almost circular disk with a thickened longitudinal bar in the 

 center, and of which the side parts are erect so as to form a wide channel 

 while the small endlobe is more or less protruded or recurved. 



The structure of the stamen is very characteristic (see page 24). The filament 

 is short and broad, constricted at the top and attached to the back of the connective 

 in such a way that the anther is versa/Z/e. The thecae are parallel, contiguous, 

 but embracing the style between them, linear, straight or bent backward along 

 the base of the anther, dehiscent in front and having very thick and fleshy 

 back- and sidewalls, from which are springing in most of the species the short 

 or long awlshaped spurs. These are however no/ essential to the diagnosis of 

 the genus, being wanting in a few species. Almost all authors however who 

 deal with this genus have considered this character as essential. On the other 

 side the dorsifix versatile anthers, already mentioned and depicted by 

 Forbes but neglected by all other authors, should be considered as 

 such, for they always go together with the other important characters of 

 the genus. 



The pollen in this genus is globose, smooth, rather large and cohering 

 by means of a glutinous substance, not soluble in water, forming large 

 bandshaped rather loose pollinia 



§ 2. Subdivision. In his survey of the Indian CuACMma spec, in HooK. 

 f. FI. Br. Ind., Baker divided the Asiatic species in three groups or sections: 

 Exantha, Mesantha and Hitcheniopsis. The first section contained those 

 species where the inflorescence was distinct from the leafstem, the second 

 those where the. bracts were adnate only near their base while the greater 

 part was extant and free ; the third those where the bracts were adnate for 

 a large portion of their length, while the free tips were recurved. In both 

 the last named sections, the inflorescence was central. 



This last section was based principally on Curcuma Roscoeana, Wall 

 (1830 t.9), which, according to Bentham in Genera Plantarum (1 880, 643), 

 ought to be transferred to Hitchenia, as has been done by Petersen 1868 

 II 6.16. Schumann in his monography has followed Baker in the subdivision 

 of the genus but he added as a diagnostic character of Hitcheniopsis the 

 wanting of "spurs to the anthers. He takes however in this subgenus among 

 others C. petiolata Roxb., notwithstanding this species has calcarate anthers 

 as may be seen in the 4 figures quoted by himself, and, according to Hooker 

 (Bot. Mag. 5431), the bracts are adnate to the middle, not to the top. His 

 diagnose of the subgenus is therefore of no use, the more so because also 



