Pl. Coromandel 3: 75 (1820), nom. cons.; R.M. Sm., Notes R. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 42: 295-314 (1985), part. rev.
Tall herbs, some stiltrooted, rhizome usually thin. Leaves usually many. Inflorescence congested, terminal on a separate leafless shoot, peduncle sometimes short, then inflorescence subterranean and only the apical part visible; bracts closely imbricating, rather large, 1-several-flowered; bracteole tubular or open to the base; flowers white, yellow, orange or red; calyx tubular, usually 3-dentate; corolla tube about as long as calyx or longer, sometimes lateral petals centrally adnate to each other and to the labellum in their lower part; lateral staminodes small or absent; labellum longer than the petals, spathulate, variously lobed; stamen shorter than labellum, anther with well-developed, variously lobed, entire or absent crest, sometimes basally spurred; ovary trilocular. Capsule dry or fleshy, subglobose to flask-shaped, smooth ribbed or echinate, dehiscent, sometimes united in a syncarp; seeds arillate. 2n = 24, 48, 96. (From Kubitzki, et al., p. 492)
Species of the genus Amomum are widely found in tropical Asia to tropical Australia, with the majority in the Malesian region.
Amomum is the second largest genus after Alpinia in the Zingiberaceae with about 150 to 180 species. Recent analysis suggests that Amomum comprises of 2 to 3 distinct genera.
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