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''Roscoea auriculata'' is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring in the eastern Himalayas, in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and Sikkim. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but ''R. auriculata'', like other species of ''Roscoea'', grows in much colder mountainous regions.〔 It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in gardens.〔 ==Description== ''Roscoea auriculata'' is a perennial herbaceous plant. Like all members of the genus ''Roscoea'', it dies back each year to a short vertical rhizome, to which the tuberous roots are attached. When growth begins again, "pseudostems" are produced: structures which resemble stems but are actually formed from the tightly wrapped bases (sheaths) of its leaves.〔 ''R. auriculata'' is usually 20–40 cm tall, with three to seven leaves. The blade of the leaf (the part free from the pseudostem) is 7.5–20 cm long by 2–2.5 cm wide. The leaf sheath is smooth (glabrous) and purple in colour.〔 At the junction of the blade and sheath there are ear-shaped (auriculate) outgrowths.〔 In its native habitats, ''R. auriculata'' flowers between June and August. The stem (peduncle) of the flower spike does not emerge from the leaf sheaths. Several purple or white flowers are produced. Membranous bracts, 2–2.5 cm long subtend the flowers.〔 Each flower has the typical structure for ''Roscoea'' (see that article for labelled images). There is a tube-shaped outer calyx, about 3.5 cm long. Next the three petals (the corolla) form a tube longer than the calyx, terminating in three lobes, each about 3–3.5 cm long: an upright central lobe and two slightly shorter side lobes. Inside the petals are structures formed from four sterile stamens (staminodes): two lateral staminodes form what appear to be small white petals, about 1.5–2 cm long, upright and hooded; two central staminodes are fused at the base to form a lip or labellum, about 3.3–4.8 cm long by 3 cm wide. This is bent backwards and split at the end into two lobes.〔〔〔 The single functional stamen has a linear anther, about 1 cm long, borne on a 1 cm long filament. A short spur is formed from the connective tissue between the two capsules of the anther. After flowering, a capsule 2–3 cm in length is formed containing brown seeds.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Roscoea auriculata」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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