16 
<l A collection of Mauritius drugs sent to the Paris Exhibi- 
tion of 1867 included fruits of Amomtm angustifolimi, from 
which I obtained a few seeds that germinated. During the 
past summer (1871) one of the plants thus raised produced 
flowers, which having been fertilized artificially, were succeed- 
ed by ripe fruits. 
“ Now a most interesting point about this plant is its com- 
plete identity with a species of Amomtm growing in Tropical 
Western Africa. Through Mr. Eleurot’s excellent drawing 
might well have raised suspicions that such was the fact, it 
was not until my plant flowered that I convinced myself that 
the Amomum Danielli of Hooker could in no way be distin- 
guished from the A. an f/ust folium of Sonnerat. A. Danielli 
Hook, f.has been figured three times in the last twenty years, (1) 
yet its similarity to the Madagascar plant has not been noticed, 
although of the latter there is in addition to Sonnerat’s plate, 
and excellent drawing in lioxburgh’s unpublished collection, 
now in the Herbarium of the Eoyal Gardens, Kew. 
“ The West African area of the plant extends along the 
coast line from Sierra Leone to Gaboon, and perhaps still 
further South. Growing over this wide district and under 
considerable variation of altitude, the plant presents some 
variations ; the flower is either yellow or red, or has the label- 
lum alone, yellow. The scape is simple or branched, short or 
long, and varies in the number of fruits it bears : and the fruits 
themselves differ much in size according to locality. But the 
labellum is always narrow and pendulous, and the seeds oblong 
and highly polished. The negroes of West Africa eat the 
pleasantly acidulous pulp of the fruit, and apparently do not 
use the seeds, but in Mauritius according to Bouton, the latter 
are chewed to sweeten the breath. 
!; I have no reason for believing that the fruits of Amomum 
a nr/ust folium Soun. have ever been even an occasional article 
of export, either from Eastern or Western Africa, and feel 
quite certain that they never formed a regular object of com- 
merce with Europe. The seeds are weak in aroma and have 
a disagreable irritating taste, so that they could with no ad- 
vantage replace the Cardamons of Malabar or Ceylon.” 
Le Secretaire dit avoir reyu do M. Eug. Leclezio l’echan- 
tillon en lleurs et eu fruits, d'un arbre assez peu repandu a 
O) Hooker’s Journ. of Bot, IV. [1852] pi. V, sub. nova, Amomum 
Afzzlii ; Bot, Mag. tub. 5250. 
