RELATIONSHIPS OF THE FALSE DATE PALM. 245 
in February, 1912, to the office of Seed and Plant Introduction of 
the Bureau of Plant Industry, U. 8. Department of Agriculture. A 
specimen of the inflorescence with the fresh flowers was also received 
in August, 1912, from Mr. Simmonds, through the courtesy of Mr. 
R. A. Young of the same office. 
One reason why it did not seem possible to assign Pseudophoenix 
to a satisfactory place in the classification was that the flowering stage 
was still unknown, the floral characters having been inferred from the 
parts that persist on the mature fruits. The most significant fact to 
be learned in this way was that the flowers of Pseudophoenix are borne 
on distinct pedicels. This feature alone would make it evident that 
there could be no very close alliance between Pseudophoenix and any 
of the genera with which it has been associated by previous writers. 
From the fresh inflorescence it is still more apparent that Pseudo- 
phoenix is not merely similar to the fan palms in having pedicellate 
flowers, but in several other floral characters that entirely exclude 
the idea of alliance with Gaussia or Chamaedorea. 
FRUIT CHARACTERS. 
In external appearance the fresh fruits of Pseudophoenix may be 
described as smooth, shining berries, orange red in color and very 
variable in form, depending on the number of seeds developed. 
Many of the fruits have only one or two seeds, but so large a propor- 
tion are three-seeded that this must be considered as the normal con- 
dition. The size and shape of the fruits, and the characters of the 
attached floral organs are shown at natural size in plates 74 and 75. 
_ The general structure of the fruit is much like that of some of the 
cocoid palms, such as Bactris, Attalea, and Acrocomia. A smooth, 
thin epidermis incloses a thick, fleshy, oil-bearing pulp with an 
embedded fibrous network, surrounding a firm endocarp.: Though 
the endocarp is quite thin, it is very hard and bony and has a dis- 
tinctly columnar structure as in Manicaria and Phytelephas. And as 
in the latter genera, the endocarps of the three pistils remain distinct 
instead of being united as in the Cocaceae. 
Thus in the fruits of Pseudophoenix the exocarp characters of 
some of the Cocaceae may be said to be combined with the endocarp 
characters of the Manicariaceae and Phytelephantaceae. The 
method of germination is also closely similar to that of the ivory 
palms. Instead of being related to the Synechanthaceae or the Cham- 
aedoreaceae, Pseudophoenix finds a closer alliance with the coconut 
palms and other families recently recognized as members of a cocoid 
series.! 
1 Cook, O. F. Relationships of the Ivory Palms. Contr. U. 8. Nat. Herb. 13: 
133-142. 1910. 
76351°—vo1 16, pt 8—13——-2 
