of the leaves are longest and straightest. It is stated that by 
means of these spines the fronds hook themselves on to the 
branches of trees, and so maintain the trunk in a nearly per- 
pendicular position. Pimze@ numerous,.six to seven inches to 
nearly a foot long, more or less broadly lanceolate, acuminate, 
plicate, very glaucous beneath. Spadices (male, the only ones I 
have seen living) are numerous from among the leaves, com- 
pound, that is branching from near the peduncle, and these 
branches long (two and three feet or more), gracefully drooping, 
pendulous; they are clothed with numerous, imbricated, disti- 
chous scales or spathas, two to three inches long, subrhombeo- 
oblong, carinate, concave, firm-membranaceous, acute rather than - 
acuminate, nearly white, with a band of pale-brown below the 
green apex, which is often tinged with dark-brown, and finely 
ciliated at the margin. Within each spatha is a spike (or parteal 
spadiz) of numerous, pale-yellowish, bracteolated flowers. Calyx 
trifid, with the lobes or teeth subulate. Corolla tripartite; seg- 
ments long-lanceolate, acuminate. Stamens eight to ten or twelve, 
much shorter than the corolla. Filaments short. Anther linear- 
oblong, subsagittate. Female spatha (from our first flowering 
specimen) similar to the male.. Spike or partial spadix ot Semale 
flowers about one-half the length of the spatha. Calya large 
in proportion to the flower, three-lobed; the /odes obtuse, mu- — 
cronate, ciliato-fimbriate. Corolla as in the male. Ovary 
subglobose, clothed with reflexed, fringed scales. Style short. 
_ Stigmas three, fringed in the inner face. Fruit (seen only in the 
dried state) globose, brown, an inch broad, clothed with reflexed, 
fringed scales, subtended by the persistent and very rigid floral 
coverings. Seed globose. Albumen firm and hard, copious. 
elect 
Fig. 1. Extremely reduced figure of the entire Palm. 2. Portion of a frond, 
with pinne and digitate spines. 3. Portions of the male spadix :—wat. size. 4. 
Male flower. 5. Stamen:—magnified. 6, Female spatha, with its spike or 
partial spadix of flowers.—xat. size. 17. Female flower. 8. Ovary :—magnified. 
9. Fruit. 10. Section of seed :—anat. size. 
