630 



BECCAKI. 



85 cm longo, 20-22 mm lato, sjperne planiusculo el Bpinis brevibus 

 erectia armato; Begmentis numerosis, aequidistantibus, rigide papyraceis, 



utrinque nitidis, e basi acuta latiuscule lanceolatis, acuminatis, major- 

 ibus 40-42 cm longis, 4-5.5 cm lalis. Spadix foemineus circiter 50 

 cm longus, rigidus, strietus, ereetus, in paucaa ( 1 in Bpecimine uno) 

 parvas sensim decrescentes inflorelcentias partiales divisus ei caudiculo 



inerme terminatus; spathis primariis tubulosis, in ore barbato-hispidis, 

 inflorescentiis basilaribus 7-8 cm Mngia, utrinque spicis 3 vel 4 praeditis; 

 spathis secundariis infundibuttforijoibus, apice setosis, spicis brevibus et 

 crassiusculis, 2-3.5 cm longis, paueiiloris; floribus biseriatis, sursum versis, 

 e basi plana el S nun lata, late eonoideis. 



Apparently large and scandent. Sheathed stem about 4 cm in diam- 

 eter. Leaf-sheaths strongly gibbous above, woody, verv densely armed 

 with very slender and scattered, elastic, very narrowly laniinil'orm and 

 sometimes bristle-like, blackisb, sinning, unequal spines, of which the 

 largest arc 25 to 30 mm long. Ocrea sbortly liguliform, axillary, fringed 

 with long and rigid bristles. Lekvet very large (in one specimen the 

 pinniferous part is 1.7 m long) terminated by a very robust, strongly 

 clawed cirrus; petiole about 25 cm long, 20 to 22 mm broad, flat at the 

 base above and convex beneath; upwards flattened and biconvex, covered, 

 especially on the upper surface, with short, ascendent spines, these spines 

 also covering the first portion of the rachis; on the margins the spines 

 are not longer than elsewhere; the rachis is armed beneath (from the 

 base upward) first with solitary, then with 2- or 3-nafe. and at the 

 extremity with half-whorled, very robust claws; on the upper surface the 

 rachis is convex-bifacial with a smooth salient angle; leaflets numerous, 

 alternate, equidistant, 5 to 7 cm apart (on each side), rigidly papyra- 

 ceous, shining on both surfaces, rather broadly lanceolate, narrowing from 

 below the middle to a rather acute base, very gradually acuminate to a 

 bristly tip; the intermediate ones 40 to 42 cm long, 4 to 5.5 cm broad ; 

 the mid-eosta is slender, but sharp above, and has 1 or 5 or at times more, 

 slender, unequal secondary nerves on each side of it; all nerves smooth on 

 both surfaces; transverse veinlets very close together and very sharp; 



margins remotely and appresscdly spinulous. Male spadix 



Female spadix rigid, strict, erect, short (50 em long in one specimen), 

 apparently appressed to the stem, with a very short (3 cm long), 15 mm 

 broad, almost; unarmed, much flattened pedicellar part, which gradually 

 passes into the first spathe. The spadix bears only four small, gradually 

 decreasing partial inflorescences, which are inserted inside the mouths 

 of their respective spathes and are covered in every part with a brown 

 scaly scurf. The primary spathes are tubular, minutely and appressedly 

 furfuraceous at the mouth with stiff, black, shining bristles; the lowest 

 spathe much flattened, two-keeled, the keels bearing rather long, subbristly 

 spines ; the upper spathes somewhat inflated, carinate and spinous on the 



