Geonoma.'] equatokial-ameeican palms. 103 



F 



two of the carpels are ol)aolete ; and then the style seems to spring 

 from the inner base of the remaining carpel, which contains a 

 solitary ovule. The style is trifid to about midway, the lobes 

 being recurved and stigmatose in their upper half along the inner 

 surface. In most species the stigmas barely emerge from the 

 staminal tube, but in a few they are considerably exserted. 



Fruits, — The fruit is a small dry berry, of a globose or oval form, 

 rarely exceeding half an inch, and sometimes not more than a line 

 in length ; and it is encompassed at the base by the persistent 

 floral envelopes. The thin cuticle is black when quite ripe, and 

 in drying becomes in some species longitudinally and closely rugu- 

 lose or interruptedly striate, but in other species tuberculate. 

 This arises in the former case from the thin mesocarp containing 

 a single layer of hard gritty lineari-fusiform fibres (?) alternating 

 in close but not quite continuous rows. In the tuberculate fruits 

 the fibres are globose or oblong, often knobby, and not unfre- 

 quently quite amorpbous ; and they seem scattered without order 

 in the substance of the mesocarp. In some species (e. g. G, tu- 

 herculata) there is certainly present a thin hard dark-colot^red 

 endocarp ; but I am unable to connect it with any other peculi- 

 arity of structure. The testa is thin and membranous, and is 

 traversed nearly throughout its periphery by a circular band or 

 rhaphe, which in some species is simple and in others is somewhat 

 branched and reticulate. The albumen is corneous ; and the 

 ovule is lateral, usually a very little above the hilum. 



Ohs. — This very natural genus is suflScicntly distinguished from 

 all other genera of Palms by the long anther-cells being completely 

 separate, without any connective ; and in very few other genera 

 are the spadices so deeply alveolate. The two sections into which 

 I divide Geonoma are characterized by the andrceceum or staminal 

 tube of the $ flower being truncate in Mugeonoma^ with three or 

 six short triangular teeth at the mouth ; whereas in Astrandroeceum 

 it is prolonged into six broad finger-like filaments. The latter 

 group seems entirely confined to Amazonia and Gruayana, and in- 

 cludes, besides the seven species gathered by myself, at least two of 

 Martius's {muUiJlora and Sjnxiaiia), and one gathered by Schom- 

 burgk in Demerara.; but the character derived from the androe- 

 ceum is not supported by any other, and the foliage seems to pass 

 through the same phases as in Eugeonoma. Even that character 

 is rather weakened by the andrceceum in one of AV^cndhmd's 

 species (pumila) being G-crenaie, with occasionally one of the 



