Amomum in Flora of China @ efloras.org

6. Amomum Roxburgh, Pl. Coromandel. 3: 75. 1820.
[nom. cons.]

豆蔻属 dou kou shu

Meistera Giseke, nom. rej.; Paludana Giseke, nom. rej.; Paramomum S. Q. Tong; Wurfbainia Giseke, nom. rej.

Rhizomes widely creeping. Pseudostems elongate. Leaf sheath long; ligule entire or 2-lobed; leaf blade usually oblong-lanceolate, oblong, or linear. Inflorescence arising from rhizomes, a densely flowered spike or spikelike raceme or panicle; peduncle short or rather long, clothed with imbricate, scalelike sheaths; involucre absent; bracts imbricate, persistent, sometimes soon disintegrating; bracteoles usually tubular. Calyx usually tubular, apex 3-toothed. Corolla tube cylindric; lobes oblong or linear-oblong, central one erect, usually wider and more convex than lateral ones. Lateral staminodes subulate, small, or absent. Labellum conspicuous, usually yellow or orange at center, with some red veins or marks, often white at margin, usually obovate, broadly concave. Filament well developed; anther locules parallel or diverging; connective appendage extending beyond apex of anther, entire or 3-lobed. Ovary 3-loculed; ovules many per locule, superposed. Style filiform; stigma usually funnelform, small, ciliate. Capsule irregularly dehiscent or indehiscent, smooth, prickly, or winged. Seeds oblong or many angled; aril fleshy or membranous, apex laciniate.

About 150 species: tropical Asia and Australia; 39 species (29 endemic, one introduced) in China.

Amomum krervanh Gagnepain (in FRPS, as “A. kravanh”) is locally cultivated in China and is also imported for medicinal use; however, it is not known to be naturalized. It may be conspecific with A. testaceum Ridley, in which case the latter name would have priority.

1 Capsule smooth, neither prickly nor winged. (2)

+ Capsule prickly or winged. (19)

2 (1) Leaf blade abaxially pubescent. (3)

+ Leaf blade glabrous on both surfaces. (6)

3 (2) Leaves subsessile, leaf blade pubescent only along sides of midvein abaxially, ligule 2--4 mm 1 Amomum kwangsiense

+ Leaves sessile or petiolate (petiole to 12 cm), leaf blade uniformly pubescent abaxially, ligule 5--20 mm. (4)

4 (3) Ligule ca. 2 cm; petiole 2.5--12 cm; anther connective appendage 3-lobed 2 Amomum longipetiolatum

+ Ligule 0.5--1.5 cm; petiole absent to 11 cm; anther connective appendage entire. (5)

5 (4) Leaf blade abaxially silvery pubescent; petiole 4--8(--11) cm 3 Amomum sericeum

+ Leaf blade abaxially brownish pubescent; petiole absent to 2.5 cm 4 Amomum yingjiangense

6 (2) Anther connective appendage 3-lobed. (7)

+ Anther connective appendage entire. (13)

7 (6) Ligule 2-cleft. (8)

+ Ligule entire. (9)

8 (7) Corolla lobes white, oblong, ca. 0.8 cm; labellum yellowish with orange midvein and purple margin, 1.5--1.8 × 1--1.5 cm 5 Amomum compactum

+ Corolla lobes rose, elliptic, ca. 3 cm; labellum with yellow midvein and purple stripes on each side, ca. 3.2 × 1.6 cm 6 Amomum scarlatinum

9 (7) Labellum 3.5--4 cm. (10)

+ Labellum 1.5--3.2 cm. (11)

10 (9) Plants 1--1.7 m tall, with odor of coriander ( Coriandrum sativum); petiole absent; ligule 0.4--1 cm 7 Amomum coriandriodorum

+ Plants 0.5--1 m tall, without odor of coriander; petiole 2.5--12 cm; ligule ca. 2 cm 8 Amomum dolichanthum

11 (9) Ligule 8--12 mm; corolla orange-red 9 Amomum tsaoko

+ Ligule 2--5 mm; corolla yellow with purple or white markings. (12)

12 (11) Petiole to 3 cm; corolla lobes oblong, ca. 3 cm; labellum obovate, 2.8--3.2 × 1.5--1.7 cm, base adnate to filament forming a tube ca. 3 mm 10 Amomum tuberculatum

+ Petiole absent; corolla lobes narrowly elliptic, ca. 1.4 cm; labellum suborbicular, ca. 1.5 × 1.8 cm, base not adnate to filament 11 Amomum quadratolaminare

13 (6) Ligule 1--3 cm. (14)

+ Ligule 2--6 mm. (15)

14 (13) Ligule 1--1.5 cm; labellum yellow, with 2 red stripes from center to base, obovate, distal margin fimbriate 12 Amomum thysanochililum

+ Ligule 2.5--3 cm; labellum white, densely red dotted at center, with radiate, red veins at margin, narrowly elliptic 13 Amomum paratsaoko

15 (13) Petiole absent. (16)

+ Petiole 0.5--5 cm. (17)

16 (15) Ligule entire; leaf blade with lateral veins prominent adaxially 14 Amomum capsiciforme

+ Ligule emarginate at apex; leaf blade with lateral veins not prominent adaxially 15 Amomum menglaense

17 (15) Ligule entire, 2--4 mm; labellum ca. 3.2 × 1.5 cm, base adnate to filament forming a tube ca. 3 mm, margin crisped 16 Amomum jingxiense

+ Ligule 2-cleft, 3--6 mm; labellum 1--1.3 × 0.6--0.9 cm, base not adnate to filament, apex 2-cleft. (18)

18 (17) Plants ca. 0.5 m tall; leaves 1--3; peduncle 4--16 cm; bracts 1.2--1.5 cm 17 Amomum austrosinense

+ Plants 1--3 m tall; leaves more than 3; peduncle 30--35 cm; bracts 2--2.7 cm 18 Amomum koenigii

19 (1) Capsule prickly. (20)

+ Capsule winged. (28)

20 (19) Leaf blade hairy at least abaxially. (21)

+ Leaf blade glabrous. (23)

21 (20) Leaf blade abaxially hairy 19 Amomum verrucosum

+ Leaf blade hairy on both surfaces. (22)

22 (21) Ligule entire, rarely emarginate at apex, 4--10 mm; bracts brown, ovate to lanceolate, ca. 3 cm; lateral staminodes 5--6 mm, apex entire 20 Amomum microcarpum

+ Ligule 2-cleft, 6--7 mm; bracts purple, oblong, ca. 1.2 cm; lateral staminodes ca. 1 cm, apex emarginate 21 Amomum neoaurantiacum

23 (20) Anther connective appendage 3-lobed. (24)

+ Anther connective appendage entire. (25)

24 (23) Ligule lanceolate, 2--2.2 cm 22 Amomum longiligulare

+ Ligule semiorbicular, 0.3--0.5 cm 23 Amomum villosum

25 (23) Petiole 4--5 mm; peduncle 13--32 cm. (26)

+ Petiole 5--10 mm; peduncle 0.5--1 cm. (27)

26 (25) Flowers white; calyx 1.5--2 cm; labellum broadly orbicular; lateral staminodes absent 24 Amomum yunnanense

+ Flowers yellow; calyx ca. 1 cm; labellum fan-shaped-spatulate; lateral staminodes toothlike, ca. 1 mm 25 Amomum gagnepainii

27 (25) Corolla white, lobes ca. 1.5 cm; labellum deltoid-ovate, ca. 1.5 cm; ligule ca. 3 mm 26 Amomum chinense

+ Corolla yellow, lobes 2--3 cm; labellum obovate, 2.5--3 cm; ligule 7--9 mm 27 Amomum muricarpum

28 (19) Leaf blade abaxially hairy. (29)

+ Leaf blade glabrous. (32)

29 (28) Petiole absent to 8 cm. (30)

+ Petiole 12--35 cm. (31)

30 (29) Leaf blade abaxially white pubescent; capsule ovoid, pedicel 0.7--1 cm 28 Amomum maximum

+ Leaf blade abaxially brownish villous; capsule ellipsoid, pedicel 1--2 cm 29 Amomum dealbatum

31 (29) Inflorescences paniculate; fruiting peduncle 3--4 cm 30 Amomum mengtzense

+ Inflorescences subcapitate; fruiting peduncle 5--12 cm 31 Amomum subcapitatum

32 (28) Filament broad, anther attached to middle of filament; lateral staminodes absent 32 Amomum petaloideum

+ Filament slender, anther attached to apex of filament; lateral staminodes present. (33)

33 (32) Ligule entire, 3--5 cm. (34)

+ Ligule entire or 2-cleft, 0.3--3 cm. (35)

34 (33) Spikes narrowly ellipsoid, 7--8 × 2.8--3.2 cm; peduncle 2.5--10 cm; bracts elliptic; corolla lobes and labellum entire at apex 33 Amomum fragile

+ Spikes capitate, 5.5--7 × 6--8 cm; peduncle 2--3 cm; bracts ovate-orbicular or broadly ovate; central lobe of corolla mucronate at apex; labellum 2-cleft at apex 34 Amomum purpureorubrum

35 (33) Ligule 3--4 mm; central lobe of corolla apiculate at apex. (36)

+ Ligule 0.7--3 cm; central lobe of corolla not apiculate at apex. (37)

36 (35) Bract with horny cusp at apex; anther connective appendage entire 35 Amomum subulatum

+ Bract without horny cusp at apex; anther connective appendage 3-lobed 36 Amomum glabrum

37 (35) Petiole absent; ligule 1.5--3 cm; bracteoles absent 37 Amomum odontocarpum

+ Petiole 5--26 cm; ligule 0.7--1.5 cm; bracteoles present. (38)

38 (37) Flowers yellow; labellum cuneate; peduncle 12--32 cm 38 Amomum putrescens

+ Flowers white; labellum slightly 3-lobed; peduncle ca. 7 cm 39 Amomum repoeense

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