乌姜 wu jiang

Rhizomes white outside, violet inside, fleshy, tuberous, slightly sweet tasting. Pseudostems 0.5--1.7 m. Ligule 2-lobed, 1--5 mm; petiole 1--5 mm; leaf blade narrowly lanceolate, 15--27 × 1.8--3.5 cm, adaxially glabrous, abaxially pilose, base rounded-cuneate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences arising from rhizomes, ovoid to ovoid-oblong, 3--5.5 × 1--3 cm; peduncle to 24 cm, slender, clothed with purple, oblong or oblanceolate, scalelike sheaths 1--4.5 cm; bracts purple, oblong or oblanceolate, 2.5--4 × 0.6--1.4 cm, abaxially hairy. Flowers white. Calyx 1.1--1.4 cm, base hairy, apex 2- or 3-toothed. Corolla tube ca. 2.5 cm; lobes lanceolate, 1.5--2 cm × ca. 5 mm. Labellum white, ca. 2 cm; central lobe obovate, ca. 1 × 1.2 cm, apex emarginate or rounded; lateral lobes small, ca. 3 mm. Anther ca. 1 cm; connective appendage ca. 1 cm. Ovary villous. Fl. Aug--Sep, fr. Oct--Nov.

* Among rocks in forests. NW Guangxi (Lingyun Xian).