Amomum xanthophlebium (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Amomum xanthophlebium Baker

Family: Zingiberaceae

• Amomum stenoglossum Baker.

• Malaysia: tepus, bunga tantan, bunga tanjong (Peninsular)

Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.

Flowers are used as a flavouring in curries, in the same way as sambal.

• Rhizomatous herb with leafy shoots up to 5 m tall and separate inflorescences.
• Leaves oblong-lanceolate, up to 80 cm × 12 cm, sheathed and short-petiolate, apex shortly pointed. Peduncle 10-15(-40) cm long.
• Inflorescence an ellipsoidal spike, 12-24 cm × 8-9 cm; bracts variable, 5-7 cm × 2-4 cm, deep red, with slightly raised longitudinal veins; bracteoles 3.5-5.5 cm long, not tubular, 3-lobed.
• Calyx 2-3.5 cm long; corolla tube as long as calyx, lobes crimson, dorsal one up to 2.5 cm × 2 cm, lateral lobes oblong, about 8 mm wide; labellum obovate, 3.7 cm × 3.2 cm, edges crinkled, white suffused with red, with red stripes and spots and yellow stripes towards the apex; anther connective 3-lobed, middle lobe up to 4 mm × 3 mm; filament 1 cm long, pink.
• Fruit obovoid, 2 cm × 1.5 cm, smooth, appressed silky hairy.

A. xanthophlebium occurs from lowland forest up to 1300 m altitude.

• Burkill, I.H., 1935. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2 volumes. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, United Kingdom. 2402 pp. (slightly revised reprint, 1966. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.).

• Holttum, R.E., 1950. The Zingiberaceae of the Malay Peninsula. The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 13: 1-249.

• Ridley, H.N., 1922-1925. The flora of the Malay Peninsula. 5 volumes. Government of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. L. Reeve & Co., London, United Kingdom.

• Smith, R.M., 1985. A review of Bornean Zingiberaceae: 1 (Alpineae pp.). Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 42: 261-314.

P.C.M. Jansen