— 24 — 



C. The labellum consists of two lateral innerstaminodes, while the odd 

 outer staminode is abortive (Lestiboudois and many others). 



CosTERUS has recently (1915) defended the supposition B. and has 

 given it a new support by the examination of the course of vascular fascicles. 

 According to him it is the central fascicle of the labellum that represents the 

 abortive outer-staminode. 



In the bud the margins of the lip as well as the" top are more or less 

 crisped and involute, forming a hood and clasping the upperpart of the 

 stamen in all species. This is observed by Gagnepain in C. /on^a (1908, 63). 

 The lip itself is quite enclosed by the staminodes with exception of the 

 middle part of its back, and together with the stamen and lateral petals all 

 are enwrapped for the greater part by the dorsal petal, which leaves only 

 free the base of the latter ones. 



The aestivation agrees here perfectly with the fig. of Eichler, quoted 

 by Schumann (1904) p. 15. fig. 4, if the asterisk be substituted by the 

 middle-part of the labellum. According to this empiric diagram we should 

 come to the conclusion that both the staminal-cycli are represented in Curcuma 

 (supposition B.) The structure of the lip however which shows no clear 

 indication of not consisting of one entire piece, but, regarding the venation, 

 quite agrees with a staminode does not give a certain decision in favour 

 of one of the three suppositions, given above. 



The corolla-tube and the faux are connected by a narrow slit and 

 separated by three hairy tufts, placed on a more or less thickened ring 

 and barring the access to the nectaria to unwished for visitors. The bottom 

 of the faux is also more or less hairy. The relative lenght and breadth 

 of the faux and tube cause differences in the shape of the flowers in 

 different species, but these are comparatively little and in most cases not 

 to be seen in dried material. 



Above and in face of the insertion of the dorsal petal the tissue of 

 the faux continues in the stamen with the two staminodes (see PI. II) which 

 are connate with it at the base as far as 2 or 3 mm. 



For the diagnosis of the species the shape of the staminodes is not 

 without importance. In Eucmcuma they are two elliptical-oblong or nearly 

 round petaloid disks, more or less convex at the inner edge, which is 

 contiguous with the stamen, and convex at the outer edge, thus bending 

 on both sides over the anther; their longitudinally folded and wrinkled tip 

 is crammed in and fastened by the hood of the dorsal petal (see fig. 1 and 3). 



In the Javan species of Paracurcuma the staminodes are not folded up. 

 They are flat and the shallow hood of the dorsal petal presses slightly 

 against their back; their margins are overlapping behind the stamen. Here 

 they are velvety; in Eucurcuma always glabrous with a papillose area in 

 the middle only. The stamen consists in both subgenera of the short broad 



