— 117 — 



from the axils of the ulterior scales, sometimes two or more, which ascend in 

 their turn, and form long series of small flowering herbs, distanced 30 — 60 mm- 

 l'Ile ascending topend bears commonly only one large (30 mm.) ("pale green 

 and punctate"), lanceolate-cymbiform amplexicaul scale or sheath at the top 

 of the short (about 10 mm.) internode which represents the whole erect 

 stem, and a few mm. above it and opposite to it the only (in 20 specimens 

 each consisting of 1-5 herbs 1 never saw a two-leaved herb) petioled leaf, 

 the leaf blade is elliptical or more seldom ovate, subacute at both ends, 

 or the base obtuse or subrotundate shortly acuminate and channeled. There 

 are about 4 to 8 thin erect, subparallel arcuate lateral nerves (see fig. 

 Schumann) and the leaf is glabrous with a minute hairy mucro at the top. 

 As to the beauteous silvery-variegated colouring, see Hallier I. c. 



The petiole is 20-35 mm. long, marginated, and channeled, its basal 

 part is dilated into a short broad membranaceous and in sicco fragile 

 sheath, 6 mm. long and almost as broad, including the top of the stem, and 

 itself enveloped by the sheathing scale. 



By these two sheaths the inflorescence is involucrated. It is a spike 

 with a very short and thin axis 8 mm. long, ending in a rudimental bract 

 and bearing 3-5 flowers and flower buds each minutely pedicelled and enclosed 

 by a semiamplexicaul bract and two thin conspicuous opposed bracteoles, 

 7 or 8 mm. long. Just as in Gastrochilus the flowers develope from top to 

 bottom, and the lowest bud is still very small, while the two superior 

 ones are decaying. 



The calyx is spatho-tubiform with 3 inaequal penicillate teeth, 6 mm. 

 long. The corolla tube 60-70 mm. long, petals, labellum, staminodes, ant- 

 hers, (included in the corolla mouth and with a large petaloid recurved 

 crest) all as in Kaempferia. Colour in vivo white wirh some oran^^e-green 

 stries near the base. 



Ovarium oblong, 4 mm , acuf<'ly triü;on<)us, a little compressed, glabrous, 

 striate, one-celled in its upper part. Ovules 6-9, erect, arilled, attactied to an 

 axillar placenta ending bluntly in the middle of the ovary and connected 

 by a very thin senium to the ovary and with two much shorter septs to 

 the bottom. The ovules are not as in the ovary described by Schumann 

 arising from the bottom, but attached to the axis in 2 or 3 Ir.yers. Styiodes 

 bacillifrom 1 mm. long. 



The fruit (only one ;imong more ihan 50 hcbs) is ellipiicdl, crowned 

 by the caiyx with many longitudinal nerves, oneseeded, with several ind - 

 mentary seeds and the placenta is pushed aside by the one iioiindl sceo, 

 which arises from the base. The normal as well as the not developed seeds 

 are covered at their lower half with numerous erect serpentine fibres of 

 the arill. The testa is thick, brown, the embryo elongate in the centre of 

 the horny albumen. The fruit measures 12X6 mm., the seed 9X4. 



