Geonoma.'] equatorial-american pal^is. 115 



Flores S : sepala subimbricata, inter se subina3qualia, oblonga obtusa 

 carinata cucullata, dorso apicis puberula ) petala subdimidio longiora, 

 vix ad medium iisc[iie coalita, supra medium conspicue venosa; apice 

 obtuso incrassato ; staminormn Jilanienta ad medium usque in tubum 



sulcatum 



flexa antherarum loculis subbre\iora fissa ; ovarii rudimentmn stylos 

 3 breves gerens. 



Flores 5 masculis subbreviores ; calyx maris; iMala ultra medium 

 coalita ; tiihus stamineus corolla subbrevior carnosus^ ore breviter 6- 

 dentatus, demum ovario crescendo basi secedens et cum stylo deciduus ; 

 ovarium monocarpellare (caeteris duobus carpellis obsoletis) ; stylus 

 e basi interna oriundus supra medium trifidus, lobis recurvis dimidio 

 superiore intus stigmatosis. 



Baccce globosse diametro 2-3-lineai^es nigrse Ifeviuscute j pey-icarjnnm 

 siccum crustaceum leniter tuberculosum ; testa tenuissima per totam 

 fere peripbeiiam rliaphis vasibus percursa ; albumen corneum ; embryo 

 paulo supm hilum lateralis. 



Ohs, — I have little doubt that I am correct in referring tliis 

 palm to Martius's Geonoma panicnligera, altbougli lie describes it 



^^paniculis birtnlis," adding "variat spadicibus villo multo magis 

 conspicuo hirtis ;" while my specimens have no more than the 

 short squarrose pubescence usual in the genus, which falls away 

 as the fruit advances to maturity ; and there is the same pubescence 

 on Wendland's specimen of his G. Jlaccida, which is scarcely 

 distinguishable as a species. 



Young and luxuriant plants are sometimes leafy from the very 

 base, but adult ones only towards the apex, 



Not every leaf-axil puts forth a spadix. It is usual to see two 

 flowering spadices at a time on a plant, with from one to three inter- 

 vening flowerless rings ; below these the spadix of the preceding 

 year often persists, and still retains a few fruits. None of the 

 spadices is fully developed until the leaf has fallen from whose 

 axil it arises. 



A spadix with all the flowers $ and the alveoles uniflorous 

 usually alternates with another which has both 2 and J flowers 

 in triflorous alveoles. 



The staminal tube of the $ flowers secedes at the base as the 

 ovary swells, and finally falls off*, carrying the style or stigmas 

 along with it ; or more rarely it is circumscissile just above the 

 base, which persists as a shallow membranous cupule to the 

 fruit. 



i2 



