Hedychium ziroense

Description. Terrestrial, rhizomatous herb up to 1.6 m tall; rhizome branching parallel to leaf distichy, pale brown externally, creamy white internally; leafy shoot slanting with an erect inflorescence; basal sheath pinkish-red. Leaves subsessile; sheath purplish-red; ligule 1.8 - 2.3 cm wide, ovate, glabrous, purplish-red; lamina 35 - 60 x 13 - 17 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, glabrous, dark green (adaxial) and pale green (abaxial); acumen 1.5 - 3.0 cm long, ends in a small caducous appendage; base rounded, red protrusion at the junction of ligule and leaf base. Inflorescence 16 x 8 cm, dense-spike, erect, cylindrical; rachis pubescent, remains more hidden due to overcrowding of bracts and flowers; bracts 4.0 - 4.5 x 1.0 - 1.2 cm, elliptic, glabrous, green, tinged with red, folded, involute, 2 - 3 flowered; bracteoles 1.0 - 1.5 cm long, tubular, pubescent, greenish-red. Flowers 11.5 - 12.5 cm long, ascending, white (when fresh), turn creamy white the next day, many flowers open simultaneously, mildly fragrant in the daytime and strongly fragrant at night; calyx 2.8 - 3.2 cm long, tubular, translucent, 3 - toothed, slightly hairy at tip; floral tube 4.7 - 5.0 cm long, glabrous, curved, greenish-yellow; corolla lobes linear, curled, orientated downwards, glabrous, light green; dorsal lobe 4.2 - 4.5 cm long, linear, curled, glabrous, beaked at tip, embracing the filament and anther in the bud stage, light green; lateral lobes 4.0 - 4.3 cm long, linear, curled (single curl), non-beaked at tip, glabrous, light green; lateral staminodes 3.5 - 4.0 cm long, widest part 0.5 cm, narrowly oblanceolate, one edge linear, obtuse, unguiculate, upper halves reflexed backwards, positioned acute (<70 °) with respect to labellum, white, light yellow towards base; labellum 3.5 - 4.0 x 1.0 - 1.5 cm, elliptic, glabrous, white with light yellow blotch, deeply bilobed, canaliculate, gradually clawed; lobes acute, upper halves reflexed backwards; sinus 1.5 - 2 cm deep; claw 1.0 - 1.3 x 0.2 - 0.3 cm; filament 5.5 - 6.0 cm long, slightly arching, deeply grooved on one side, pale orange, bright orange towards tip; anther 0.9 - 1.2 cm long, linear, basifixed, orange; thecae 2, split longitudinally; connective 0.1 - 0.2 cm long, bright orange; stigma 0.1 cm wide, cup-shaped, hairy at tip, exserted from the anther by at least 0.1 cm, green; style 11.5 - 12 cm long, filiform, white, greenish towards tip; epigynous nectaries 0.2 - 0.25 cm long, glabrous, yellow; ovary 0.3 - 0.4 x 0.2 - 0.4 cm, barrel-shaped, pubescent, creamy orange externally; placentation axile; ovules spherical, creamy white. Fruit not seen.