222 BECCARI. 
into a rounded ciliolate small auricle, the central part gradually parsing 
into a tluck triangular, valvate point. Fruiting perianth slightly accres- 
cent 8 mm. high. Fruit 17-19 mm. long, 6.5 mm. thick, ellipsoid-ohlong 
with an acute base, somewhat contracted or rather suddenly- narrowed 
below the summit, wliich is truncate, circular, 3 mm. in diameter, and 
with tlie remains of the stigmas forming a small blunt mucro in its 
center; the outer surface of the fruit is dull, of a rather light color 
and linely grained under tlie lens; the pericarp on tlie whole is ratlicr 
til in, the epicarp being thinly crustaceous, the mesocarp formed by 
only two layers of rigid ])arallel fibers, and the endorcarp also crustaceous 
and very thin, brittle and polished inside. Seed narrowly ovoid with a 
conical and obtuse top and a flat base, 9-9.5 mm. long, 5 mm. thick; 
the branches of the raphis are about 10 erect from the base, of which 
those of the middle pass undivided over the top of the seed and the 
others bend laterally and slightly anastomose on the opposite side. The 
rumination is formed by brown lamellse and does not reach the center. 
Tlie embryo is basal. 
Tn swampy places along the Sariban River, Palawat^; No. 3810, H. M. Curran 
February, 1000. 
This species seems to be most closely related to A. oaoycarpa Sclieff., from 
Nortli Celebes on account of its 6-staminate flowers and tbe size of the fruit, but 
the fruit of A. oxycarpa is equally narrowed and acute at both ends, while in 
A. mamnullata the upper end is narrower than tlie lower one, and terminates 
in a broad discoid mammilate summit. 
Areca Vidaliana Becc. n. sp. 
Gracilis. Folia metralia vel paidlo ultra, petiolo subtus rotundato, 
supra canaliculato, marginibus obtusis; segmentis membranaceis utrinque 
8-10, subaequidistantibus, 2.5-4 cm. inter se remotis e basi lata falcato- 
acinaciformilms, 2-3-costulatis et crebrc acuteque nervo.^o-striatis, apice 
acuminato-caudatis, circiter 40 cm. longis, 3-5 cm. latis, duobus tenni- 
nalibus 3— 4-costulatis et apice profundc inciso-dentatis. Flores asym- 
metrice lanceo-lati, acuminati, 3-goni, 3-3.5 mm. longi, staminibus 6, 
ovarii rudimento profundissime B-partito, staminibus longiori. Fructus 
oblongo-elliptici, 18 mm. longi, 7 mm. lati, utrinque aequaliter attcnuati, 
vertice 3 mm. lato, discoido-mammillato et in medio obtuse mucronato. 
Apparently a slender paliu about tlie size of A. m nmmillata. Leaves 
about 1 m. in length; the petiole round beneath and somewhat channeled 
al)0vc, its margins very obtuse; the racliis indistinctly ribbed beneath 
along the middle in its lower portion and roundish higher up, not 
very prominently acute above; the segments 9-10 only on each side 
of the rachis, membranous, subequidistant, 2.5-4 mm. apart, broadly 
falcate-acinaciform, about 40 cm. in length and 3-5 cm. in width, very 
sliglitly or not at all narrowed at the base, very sliglitly decurrent along 
the rachis, gradually acuminate to a falcate point and besides produced 
into a linear caudate appendage (this 3-4 cm. in length) usutdly with 
