tioned above, and had attained twelve feet before flowering, 
which it did for the first time in September of last year, 
in the Palm House of the Royal Gardens. The plant isin 
its mature state wholly destitute of spines, whereas in the 
young state the deep orange-red petioles are clothed with 
black needle-like spines one to three inches long, and the 
young leaves are orange beneath and mottled with orange 
brown spots above. The difference in these respects 
between the old and young plants is so great that Mr. 
Watson observes that it is hardly credible that they 
form but one species. 
Descr. Trunk slender, at first clothed with long spines, 
at length unarmed, ringed, dark brown, twenty-two inches 
in girth, twelve feet high to the base of the lowest sheath, 
and to the top of the foliage twenty-four feet. Leaves 
spreading and recurved, blade seven feet long by six broad, 
cuneate-obovate or oblong, shortly bifid, deeply laciniate 
on the margin from a quarter to one-third way down 
between numerous nerves, pale green above when old, of a 
bright coppery orange when young beneath, and bright 
red-brown when dying; lacinizw ensiform, acutely un- 
equally two to four-fid at the apex, many nerved; midrib 
slender, bearing here and there linear horizontal brown 
peltate scales one-third to one-half inch long ; petiole three 
feet long and costa semiterete, gradually narrowed into 
a sheath two to three feet long, which is hoary, scaly and 
spiny when young. Spadizx three to six feet long, axillary, 
ovoid, laxly branched, golden yellow, as are the flowers ; 
branches one to one and a half feet long, slender, erecto- 
patent, tumid at the base, clothed throughout with flowers. 
Peduncele one and a half to three feet long. Spathes two, 
lower twelve to eighteen inches long, persistent, bristly, 
upper two to three and a half feet, clavate, woody, 
deciduous. Flowers ternate, a female between two males, 
or the uppermost on the branches male. Male fl. a quarter 
inch broad when expanded; sepals imbricate, minute, 
reniform ; petals ovate-lanceolate, acute, valvate, coria- 
ceous. Stamens fifteen to twenty, inserted at the base of 
the perianth, filaments subulate, anthers linear, base deeply 
cleft. Fem. fl. minute, globose, somewhat enlarged after 
flowering; sepals orbicular, concave, coriaceous, broadly 
imbricating ; petals larger, orbicular, imbricate, with short 
