台灣月桃

Languas formosana (K. Schumann) Sasaki, Trans. Nat. His. Soc. Form. 14: 84. 1924. Alpinia hokutensis Hayata, Icon. Pl. Form. 9:120. 1920. syn nov. Alpinia koshunensis Hayata, Icon. Pl. Form. 5: 227. 1915. Languas koshunensis (Hayata) Sasaki, Trans. Nat. His. Soc. Form. 14: 85. 1924.

Plant 1.5-2.5 m, glabrous. Leaves petiolate, petioles 0.5-1.5 cm long; blade 40-50 × 12-16 cm, oblong to lanceolate, tip acuminate, base round or sometimes oblique, subcoriaceous, glabrous on both sides except for margin; ligule 1 cm long, entire or bilobed, coriaceous, hairy on outer surface. Inflorescence a thyrse, erect or curvingly ascending, glabrous or sometimes villose, flower-bearing part ca. 25 cm long, lower rachilla 0.5-1.0 cm long, 2 or 3-flowered, upper ones 1-flowered, without bract. Flowers pedicellate; bracteole white, tip pink, folded around the bud, glabrous, deciduous; calyx white, tip pink, tubular, 1-1.2 cm long, shortly 3-lobed and deeply split unilaterally, minutely pubescent on outer surface; corolla white, tube 1 cm long, lobes oblong, outer surface glabrous, margin ciliate, dorsal lobe 2 × 1.5 cm, laterals 2 × 1.0 cm; labellum 2.5 × 2.5 cm, yellowish with red stripes and spots in the center, explanate, apex emarginate; staminodes subulate, 0.6 cm long, with red stripes; anther 0.5 cm long; filament band-form, 1.3 cm long; stigma funnel-form, apex densely hairy; style slender, 2.8 cm long; epigynous glands united on one side, massive, 0.5 cm long; ovary greenish, often glabrous, 0.7 × 0.5 cm. Fruits capsular, orange-red, globose, 2.0 × 2.0 cm, costate, glabrous. Seeds 15-25, angular; aril white, membranous.

TAIPEI: Taipei, Masamune & Sasaki s.n. in 1932 (TAI); Nangang, Yang 864, 1128(TNU); Wulai, Moo 2474 ( TAI ); Kuanyingshan, Moo 104(TAI). NANTOU: Puli, Moo 2083(TAI); Peitou, Shimada s.n. May 1917 (Type of Alpinia hokutensis, TAI !).. Pingtung: Pinglang, Hsu 1990(TAI). TAITUNG: Lanyu, Moo 2318(TAI).

Japan and the Ryukyus. Taiwan, scattered at low altitudes.