— 137 — 



brevior, calycein totum includeiis, convoluta et valde complanata apice 

 constricta et subbifida. Calyx (explanatus) late ellipticus, 20 mm longus 

 14 mm. latus, apice truncatus (6 mm latus) et subretusus vel bidenticulatus, 

 nervo mediano distincto in sinum desinens, nervis numéro 11 (3 in medio 

 4 im utraque parte). Corollae tubus 35 mm, apice dilatatus; pet dorsale 

 ovatum (25X13) obtusum et subcucuUatum nervis 7, laterales ovato- 

 oblongi (20X6) in vivo patentes subrigidi et decurvi, labello breviores. 



Labellum oblongum apice rotundatum et breviter acute emarginatum, 

 in vivo fornicatum patens petalis sustentum (tum specie ovatum bilobum), 

 21X15; Staminodia magna obovata, apice rotundata (15X9) in vivo 

 erecta et labello suboppositi, in flore explanato labelli basi adnata. Sty- 

 lodia 9 mm long. 



This interesting species, different from all known species of the genus 

 by the internally violet or ink-coloured rhizome, was discovered by Mr* 

 Ottens ') in a village near Buitenzorg where it is cultivated. It is 

 known as "banglai-ideung" or "black Cassumunar" and the natives 

 distinguish it thus from all forms of the Zerumbet group, which always are 

 called „lampujang" . 



It resembles however Z. Zerumbet in a general aspect and 1 presume 

 that Griffiths figure t 351 of a Zingiber sp. cited by Ridley as Z. Zerumbet 

 really refers to Z. Ottensii. The structure of the flower in all the 

 figures is very different from that of Z. Zerumbet (compare e.g. Wights Ic. 

 t. 2003 f 1 and 2) and strikingly resembles Z. Ottensii. Griffith calls the 

 flower "ochroleucos", a rather vague term to me, but according to Saccardo, 

 fig 28, it much more resembles Z. Ottensii than Z. zerumbet. By all means 

 the colour of the flower of Z. Ottensii, a very faint pink densely inspersed 

 with large and small pale yellow spots, is very characteristic and never 

 occurs in the zerumbet group. Z. Ottensii does not belong to this group but to the 

 spectabilegroup, where the colour is mixed up of violet or lilac and yellow. 



The bracts in this species are brownred from the beginning (53-58 

 or 88 Cod. =:badius and latericius), Saccardo, (19 and 20), and become 

 bright red after flowering (76). The flower is very faintly orange coloured 

 (between 0171 and 171), the connective 166. The flower is 50 — 65 mm. 

 long, the lip with the faux 25 — 30 mm. The large staminodes are obovate 

 (15X11) and a little adnate to the base of the lip. The broadly oblong 

 labellum is rotundate and a little emarginate. The bracteole is as long as 

 the tube, 35 mm, and tinged reddish at its top. The same species was 

 recently discovered by Lörzing in the newly broken up grounds of the 

 botanical garden of Sibulangit. His detailed #iescription of the living plant 



') Mr Ottens to vvhoiii I am glad to dedicale this species is assistant in the Museum 

 for technical Botany and has applied himself much to procure for me materîals for 

 this study. 



