This is a coarse variety of the "amomum zintgiber." The leaves, which spring from the ground, attain a height of seven or eight feet; a large, crimson, fleshy blossom also springs from the ground in the centre of the surrounding leaf-stems.

The root is coarse, large, but wanting in fine flavor, although the young tubers are exceedingly tender and delicate.

This is the favorite food of elephants on the Ceylon mountains; but it is a curious fact that they invariably reject the leaves, which any one would suppose would be their choicest morsel, as they are both succulent and plentiful.

The elephants simply use them as a handle for tearing up the roots, which they bite off and devour, throwing the leaves on one side.
The wild parsnip is also indigenous to the plains on the mountains.

As usual with most wild plants of this class, it has little or no root, but runs to leaf.