in Darien, but also on mountains at an elevation of more than 
3000 feet above the sea, as in Ocafia. Amongst the Spaniards 
and their descendants it is known by the name of “ Palma de 
marfil” (Ivory Palm), whilst its fruit is called by them “Cabeza 
de Negro” (Negro’s head), and its seed “ Marfil vegetal ” (vege- 
table ivory). ‘The Indians on the banks of the Magdalena term 
the plant “Tagua,” those on the coast of Darien “ Anta,” and 
those of Peru “ Pullipunta” and “Homero.” It is generally 
found in separate groves, seldom intermixed with other trees or — 
shrubs, and where even herbs are rarely met with, the ground ap- 
pearing as if it had been swept. The trunk is always pulled — 
down, partly by its own weight, partly by its aerial roots; and — 
thus forms a creeping caudex, which is frequently twenty feet 
long, but is seldom higher than six feet. The top is crowned with — 
from twelve to twenty pinnatisect leaves, the entire length of — 
which is from eighteen to twenty feet. The segments are towards — 
the base of the leaf alternate, towards the apex opposite; they 
_ are three feet long, two inches broad, and their entire number 
amounts generally to 160. All the plants which I saw were 
dicecious, the males always being more robust, and their trunks 
more erect and higher, than the females. The inflorescence of both 
emits a most penetrating almond-like smell. The infloresence 
of the male plant is a simple, fleshy, cylindrical spadix, which has 
three or four spathes, the flowers of which are densely crowded 
together, and sessile. They are generally furnished with a small 
bract, and a calyx consisting of three sepals. The stamens are 
numerous (thirty-six), the filaments filiform, the anthers linear, 
erect, affixed nearly at the base, and bilocular ; the connective is 
mucronulate, and the pollen elliptical and furrowed lengthways. 
The inflorescence of the female plant has three or four spathes, 
and consists of a simple spadix, bearing on an average from six 
to seven flowers, which form a dense cluster, and are surrounded 
by bracts, placed in a spiral direction, the uppermost five of 
which, being often much longer than the style, but generally 
shorter, and pure white, have the appearance of petals; the sta- 
mens are numerous, free, sterile, inserted in the torus between 
the petaloid bracts and the ovary. ‘The ovary is from six- to 
nine-celled, each cell containing a solitary, sessile, erect ovule, 
attached to an axile placenta. The style is elongated, splitting 
into six, seven, eight, or nine branches, stigmatose on the edges. 
The fruit, a collection of from six to seven drupes, forms clusters, 
which are as large as a man’s head, and stands at first erect, but 
when approaching maturity—its weight increasing, and the leaf- 
stalk, which, having up to that period supported the bulky mass, 
having rotted away—it hangs down. A plant bears at one time 
from six to eight of these heads, each weighing, when ripe, about 
