COOK RELATIONSHIPS OF THE TVORY PALMS. 139 



The first two or three leaves shown by the young seedling of 

 Phytelephas after it breaks through the cotyledon are merely blade- 

 less sheaths, also as in Attalea. Seemann shows three of these leaf 

 rudiments in his Panama species (fig. 42), while Karsten indicates 

 only two on the Phytelephas of the Magdalena valley (fig. 43). Seed- 

 lings of Attalea cohune from eastern Guatemala also have two of 

 the bladeless sheaths, in addition to the strong, cord-like cotyledon 

 (fig. 44). 



The chief difference in the germination of the two genera is that 

 the first foliage leaf of Phytelephas is compound or completely 

 divided into segments like the leaf of the adult plant, whereas the 

 first foliage leaf of Attalea has the segments completely united as in 

 other cocoid palms. Such differences between the forms of the first 

 leaves are paralleled in rather closely related genera of true palms, 

 or even among the species of the same genus, as in Chamaedorea. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE PHYTELEPHANTACEAE AND AIIIED 



FAMILIES. 



If the palms be reckoned as a natural order, divisible into families. 

 Spruce's designation of the Phytelephantaceae as an independent 

 group may still be maintained, but the family needs to be studied and 

 described in its relation to other palms instead of being based on the 

 idea of an inferior ovary or other erroneous statements. 



The most important features that distinguish the Phytelephan- 

 taceae from the Cocaceae are the dioecious habit, the more numerous 

 stamens and pistils and the inclosure of each kernel in a separate 

 shell, instead of in a chamber of a composite bony endocarp. The 

 Phytelephantaceae are distinguished from the Manicariaceae by the 

 dioecious habit, the simple inflorescences, the incomplete, dehiscent 

 spathes, and the larger number of carpels. The fruit characters that 

 separate the Phytelephantaceae from the Cocaceae serve the same pur- 

 pose for the Manicariaceae. The following descriptions summarize 

 the peculiarities of the three groups: 



Family COCACEAE." 



Inflorescences simple or with simple branches. 



Spathes two, leathery or woody, the outer usually short, the inner 

 complete, sometimes deciduous at the time of flowering. 



a Martins used " Cocoinae " for the family name, and on this analogy " Cocoa- 

 ceae " might be used instead of "Cocaceae," on the ground that " Cocos " was 

 derived from "coco," an indeclinable barbaric word. It is possible, however, 

 to consider that the word became latinized, or at least hellenized. when Lin- 

 nseus wrote it with the final consonant, and thus became declinable in the 

 usual manner of words ending in "os" or ■•us." If it were maintained that 

 "Cocos" is strictly indeclinable the family name would need to be written 

 " Cocosaceae." 



