珊瑚姜 shan hu jiang

Pseudostems ca. 1 m. Leaves sessile; leaf sheath sparsely hairy or glabrous; ligule 2--4 mm; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, 20--30 × 4--6 cm, adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely hairy or glabrous. Inflorescences arising from rhizomes, oblong, 15--30 cm; peduncle 15--20 cm, scalelike sheaths 4--5 cm; bracts red, ovate, 3--4 cm, apex acute. Calyx 1.5--1.8 cm, split to middle. Corolla tube ca. 2.5 cm; lobes with purple stripe, oblong, ca. 1.5 cm, apex acute, central lobe larger than lateral ones. Central lobe of labellum obovate, ca. 1.5 cm; lateral lobes ca. 8 mm, apex acute. Anther sessile, ca. 1 cm; connective appendage beaklike, curved, ca. 5 mm. Ovary 2--2.5 mm, sericeous. Seeds black, glossy. Fl. May--Aug, fr. Aug--Oct. 2 n = 22*.

* Dense forests. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan.

Medicinal.