MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

Description of the plant

 

P.tuberosa has a tuberous root-stock and a mass of basal foliage. The leaves are pale-green, long, narrow and very dense. The leaves at the base are 30 to 40 cm long, 1.2 to 1.5 cm in width, sometimes reddish near the base. The flowering stems are long and can reach a height of up to 100 cm, although 60 to 75 cm is normal. It is approxi¬mately the top third of the stem which bears the pure, white, waxy-textured raceme of blooms. The flowers are borne in pairs on a lax spike and are 3 to 6 cm in length. The segments are 1 to 2 cm long, the tube is long, narrow and funnel-shaped, slightly bent near the base. The filaments are attached to the upper part of the corolla. The ovary is 3-celled, there are 3 stigmas which are ovate-falcate. The fruit is crowned by a persistent perianth, and the seeds are flat.