1062

Boesenbergia pulcherrima (Wall.) Kuntze 

Synonym	:	Gastrochilus pulcherrima Wall.
Family	:	Zingiberaceae
Flowering and fruiting period	:	July to October
Distribution	:	Myanmar, Borneo and India
Key botanical characters: Rhizome very small, c. 1.5 x 1 cm, aromatic, yellow in  the centre, light pinkish towards the periphery; roots many, fleshy; root tubers cylindrical. Leafy shoot 30-60 cm tall, 3-5 leaves arranged from the base to the top; internodes long, 3-6 cm; rarely axillary bulbils present. Leaves shortly petiolate; petiole 1-2.5 cm long, sheaths greenish or pinkish, glabrous or slightly pubescent; lamina ovate-elliptic, 6-18 x 5-8 cm, acute, unequal at base, glabrous or minutely hairy; ligule membranous, c. 1 x 0.5 cm, glabrous or minutely pubescent, hyaline.   Inflore­scence sessile, upto 7.5 cm long, enclosed within the terminal leaf sheaths. Bracts distichous, c. 8-10 pairs, each subtends a single flower, oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-3 x 0.8-1 cm, green or slightly pinkish, minutely hairy on the outer surface. Flower white with pink throat.