Mauritia,} equatobial-amkkican palms. 171 



lind it entered in the ' Nova Genera &c.* with no further descrip- 

 tion than " Mauritia caudice spinoso/' and an added reference to 

 the 'Aspects of Nature/ where nothing more definite is said of 

 it, wc may well excuse Dr. Martins for having mistaken a prickly- 

 stemmed Mmcritia of the Amazon for the M, aculeata of Hum- 

 boldt, although it differs from the latter in the taller, stouter 

 stems, growing singly and not clustered, and in the ovate (not 

 globose) fruits. Mr. Wallace, taking Martius*s great work as his 

 guide, and finding his Rio Negro Palm distinct from the "ilf. acu- 

 leata^^ described there, naturally enough considered it altogether 

 new, and named it afresh. His figure is characteristic, and C[uite 

 suffices to identify the species with Humboldt's ; hence it is doubtful 

 whether Wallace's name ^^ gracilis ^^ or Humboldt and Bonpland's 

 more ancient name " aculeata *' should stand. In retaining the 

 latter I have been guided solely by priority ; and it entails the ne- 

 cessity of changing the name of Martius's " aculeata^^ which I 

 propose to call "ilf. Martiana.*' The amended synonymy will 

 stand briefly thus : Mauritia aculeata^ H. et B. = M\ gracilisy 

 Wallace, nee M, aculeata^ Mart. ; M. Martianay Spruce = M, acu- 

 leata, Mart, (nee H. et B.). 



M, suBiXEBMis, sp. n. : caudice solitario 18-pedali gracili sub- 

 inermi; foliis 4-pedalibus flabelliformi-30-34-partitis, laciniis If- 

 pedalibus lineari-lanceolatis acutis subtus albido-pruinosis, aculeolis 

 venarum marginumque nullis; baccis 



Ilab, in sylvis humilioribus ad confluentiam fluviorum Casiquiari et 

 Giiainia (5. hb. Palm, 39). Cahudia Orinocensium. 



Caudex 18-pedalis, brachialis, creberrime annulatus, inennis v, aculeis 

 paucissimis semipoUicaribus anguste conicis armatus, secus apicem 

 petiolorum basibus fibroso-dissolutis in massam fusiformem congestis 



investitus. 

 Folioi. 4-pedalia ; petiolus vix 2|-pedalis, diametro 9-lineari, basi ipsa 

 caudicem vagiuans, supeme subteres, decidue pruinosus; lamina fla- 

 bellifomiis profunde 30-34-partita, basi integra 3-pollicari valide 

 plicata, laciniis IJ-pedalibuS; latitudine sesquipoUicari, lineari-lan- 

 ceolatis subabrupte acutis, a medio pendulis,triplicatis, subtus albido 



leprosis pruinosisve. 

 Spadices parvi (eorum reliquia sola visa). 



^ 



II. OropTioma : floribus polystichis, corollis masculia 



gamopetalis. 



M. (OfiOPHOMA) Cabana, Wallace^ Palms, pi. 18: caudice ro- 



