90 DE. E. SPKUCE ON EQUATORIAL-AMEEICAN PALMS. 



SO very closely related as Wettmia and Iriartea, the former having 

 valvate and the latter imbricated petals in the female flower— and 

 also Acrocomia (wliich has an imbricated female corolla) from the 

 rest of the prickly Cocoince, which have valvate corollas. 



While, therefore, I should take the aestivation of the female co- 

 rolla as the best possible basis of an artificial analysis of the 

 genera, I could not repose a natural arrangement upon it. 



§ 10. Palms are more naturally divided, from the SpatTies^into 



SpatliiJlorcB and Spathellijlorce. 



Another pair of characters, one that is thoroughly natural and 

 easily seized upon, may be derived from the spathes. It divides 

 all Talms into what I would call " Spathiflorse " and " Spathelli- 

 florse," whose characters are the following : 



Spathifloe^. Spadiccs either simple or vaguely branched, 

 never truly pinnate ; if compound, then paniculate ; if simply 



:orm 



SjyafJies (one or more) inserted on tlic peduncle ; at first 

 fusiform, entire, and completely including the young spadix ; 

 then bursting for the emission of the spadix, which usually 

 lengthens considerably (as the flowers and fruits advance to 

 maturity) in thg palms with deciduous spathes, but rarely 

 ever exceeds, or even equals, the woody persistent spathes of 

 other palms. Except for these general envelopes, the rhachis 

 and branches of the spadix are nearly naked, the bracts sub- 

 tending the branches and flowers being generally reduced to 

 mere scales. 



SPATiTELLiFLOEiE. Spadices piuuately branched, branches di- 

 stichous and alternate ; if again divided, then the rarauli also 

 distichous. 



Spatltcs usually none ; but the peduncle, rhachis, and 

 branches completely hidden by tubular distichously imbri- 

 cated bracts {spatliellcB) , which are oblique-mouthed, and 

 sometimes widened upwards (cyathiform). 



The SjpatlielliJlordB include all fan-leaved Palms, whether Boras- 

 since y or Coryphinw^ or Lepidocaryince of Martins and Endlicher, 



late-leaved genera of Lepidocaryin(Bj 



SpatJiifl^ 



The scaly fruits of the Lepidocaryince mark them well out from 

 c rest of the Spathelli/lorcB ; and it is hero that the only aberra- 



