Curcuma vamana

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Curcuma vamana M.Sabu & Mangaly, J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 10: 307 1987 publ. 1988. (Syn: Curcuma peethapushpa Sasidh. & Sivar.);
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SW. India as per POWO;
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Rhizome small, c. 3 x 0.5 cm, conical, orange within; sessile tubers absent; roots several, fibrous, some ending in fleshy, spherical or ellipsoid root tubers, c. 2 x 1 cm, pearl-white inside. Leafy shoot upto 50 cm tall. Pseudostem 8-10 cm long, covered basally by leaf less sheaths. Leaves distichous, 4-5; lamina 20-25 x 6-8 cm, oblong, tip acuminate, base subequal, closely pinnately nerved, glabrous; ligule small; petiole 20-30 cm lon. Inflorescence central, 15-22 cm long peduncle 10-18 cm long, concealed within the leaf sheaths, light green, glabrous; spike condensed 2-4 x 2 cm, distinct coma absent; bracts 4-8, loosely arranged, c. 3 x 3 cm, ovate to obovate, tip acute, slightly recurved, each subtending 2-4 flowers, one or rarely two sterile bracts towards the tip; bracteoles small, c. 5 x 4 mm, ovate-acute, glabrous. Flowers shorter than the bracts, 1.8-2 cm long. Calyx truncate, 4 mm long, deeply 3-lobed, white, glabrous, persistent. Corolla tube 8 mm long; lobes almost equal, c. 5 x 4 mm, glabrous, yellowish-white. Labellum c. 8 x 7 mm, tip notched, lobe rounded, margin crisped, golden yellow, hairy at middle. Lateral staminodes c. 6 x 3 mm, golden yellow. Stamen c. 4 mm long, thecae parallel, convergent at base and form a beak, glandular hairy. Epigynous glands absent. Ovary tricarpellary, syncarpous, white, glabrous; ovules many; placentation apparently axile. Style long, filiform; stigma slightly exserted above the anther. Fruit obovoid, c. 10 x 8 mm, with persistent calyx, pericarp thin; seeds brown when mature, arillate aril filiform.

Flowering and fruiting: July-October
Evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests
Southern Western Ghats (Kerala) (Endemic)
(Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal)
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Araceae, Arecaceae and Zingiberaceae Fortnight: Zingiberaceae: Curcuma vamana : 3 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (1).
Please meet with the too short inflorescence Curcuma, C. vamana Sabu & Mangaly

Interesting find by Prof. Sabu…thanks for sharing …