Tas. 5139. 
ARECA sapipa. 
Southern Areca or Betel-nut. 
Nat. Ord. Patmace®.—Mone@cra HEXANDRIA. 
Gen. Char. Flores monoici, sessiles in eodem spadice, spatha duplici eincti 3 
masculi superiores plerumque feemineis 2 stipati. Mase. : Perianthium 6-parti- 
tum, 2-seriale; stamina 3-12. Fem.: Perianthii foliola 6, imbricata, convo- 
luta. Ovarium 1—8-loculare. Stigmata 3, sessilia. Drupa monosperma, fibrosa ; 
ge corneum, in sp. Novee-Zelandie non ruminatum. Embryo basilaris. 
TD. A. 
ARECA sapida ; foliis pinnatis, pinnis multijugis anguste lineari-lanceolatis repli- 
catis terminalibus premorsis, costis petioloque lepidotis, perianthit d folio- 
lis exterioribus angustis interioribus ovatis acuminatis, ? late ovatis, 
drupis ovoideis, albumine eequabili. Hook. fil. ae 
Arxca sapida. Sol. in Forst. Pl. Escul. Ins. Oceano Austral. p. 66. . 35. Rich. 
Fl. Astrolabe, p. 157. All. Cunn. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Zel. in Hook. Comp. to 
Bot. Mag. v. 2. p. 374. Hook. fil. Fl. N. Zeal. v. 1. p. 262. t. steeds Pr 
Arxca Banksii. Mart. Palm. ¢. 151 ef 152. Kunth, Enum. Pi. v. 3. p. 185. 
The importance of the noble Palm-house at Kew, 1s now — 
beginning to be felt by the blossoming of many rare Palms, 
which have never before produced flowers im any European 
collections. Although one of the less lofty kinds of the princes 
of the Vegetable Kingdom, the present is an extremely elegant 
species, native of the Northern and Middle Islands of New Zea- 
land (where the young inflorescence is eaten), and of peculiar 
interest, as being one of the most southern representatives of its 
Natural Order, occurring as far as latitude 38° 22 south; whereas 
“38° is the limit of Palms in Australia, latitude 38° in South 
America, and latitude 30° in Africa.” i 
As Dr. Hooker has had the opportunity of seeing and study- 
ing this plant in its native islands, and as he has recently pub- 
lished a good description, together witha figure of the inflorescence 
and fruit, we cannot do better than offer the following extracts 
from his ‘Flora of New Zealand.’ Its flowerimg season with 
us has been in the winter months. Mr. Allan Cunningham has 
applied to this Palm, Endlicher’s description, drawn up from 
SEPTEMBER lst, 1859. 
