Euterpe,'] iiquatobial-ameeican palms. 139 



The tubular sheath at the base of tlie outermost extant leaf 

 includes and conceals all the inner sheaths. At its mouth it is 

 usual to find a mass of soft flat deep-purple threads, -4^ of an 

 inch broad, each traversed by a strong midrib ; they are the re- 

 mains of the membrane (a continuation of the petiole-sheath) that 

 enveloped the whole frond in vernation, and has been torn to 

 shreds by its expansion. The same shreds in the Piassaba palm, 

 being far stronger and firmer, persist on the petiole-sheath, and 

 hang down like a beard. There is scarcely any proper petiole 

 besides the sheathing base, the rhachis being pinnate throughout. 



Whether the " Assai-caatinga " be distinct or not from the 

 *' Assai-miri" that grows towards the mouth of the Eio Negro, 

 my specimens are insufiicient to decide. The latter was sent to 

 Kew, in 1851, under the MS. name of Euterpe moUissima {Hh. 

 Palm, 5 ; Keiv Mus, 90) ; but I never saw either flowers or fruits 

 of it. I found it to have a slender taperiny stem, 3 inches thick 

 at the base, but only 1 inch at the apex, of very tender consis- 

 tence, and exuding when wounded a quantity of limpid fluid, which 

 hardened into a reddish gum. Leaves of the same length as E. 

 caatinga^ but having as many as 58 pairs of pinnae instead of only 

 45 pairs. 



(E]!fOCARPUS. 



group 



curately ascertained. The species differ at sight from Euterpe in 



pur. 



twice 



green 



draceous and entire, like the leaf-sheaths of Euteipe. Another 

 striking difference from Euterpe is in the broom-like spadix, 

 with numerous long simple pendulous branches crowded on an 

 excessively contracted rhachis. The sepals of the 6 flowers are 

 valvate and united below, while in Euterpe they are free and im- 

 bricated. The ? flowers have usually the same whitish hue, and 

 the same structure, in both genera ; and the plum-like pruinose 

 fruits are very similar (only rather larger in CEnocarpus), and 

 oblong, rarely globose (as they are in every species of Euterpe). 

 One character, assumed by Martins to be constant in the genus 



(Enocarpus, viz. "bacca stigmatibus eicentricis coronata," 



does not exist in (E, lacaba, Mart., (E. minor, Mart., and (E. mul- 

 ticaulis, sp. n., which have the short connivent stigmas persistent 



