562 Cook : A Synopsis of the 



The inner spathe is narrowly fusiform and about I m. long. 

 It splits to the level of the outer spathe revealing the spadix and 

 its extremely spiny peduncle. The flowers are greenish cream 

 colored in mass, paler and not so yellow as in Acrocomia. The 

 pistillate flowers are relatively very few and located near the base 

 of the simple branches. 



The cherry-like fruits are dull orange or brick red with rather 

 dry fleshy or oily exocarp having a rather mealy though distinctly 

 acid flavor, but no really unpleasant taste. This fleshy covering 

 is only very slightly fibrous, and that near the base ; the seeds fall 

 off very easily sometimes leaving the base of the exocarp attached 



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to the fruiting branch. The nut is about 12 mm. in greatest or 

 transverse diameter and about 10 mm. high, while the fresh fruit 

 is 14-16 mm. through and 12 or 13 mm. thick. The surface is 

 deeply and irregularly pitted and marked with three radially fibrous 

 striate foveolae. 



It is perhaps too soon to assert that there is only one species 

 of the present genus in Puerto Rico. The trees certainly differ 

 considerably in size though not more than the cocoanut and others. 

 There is also a noticeable difference in the abundance of spines. 

 Such apparent variability may, however, be due to age, the older 

 trees tending to become less densely beset with the brittle black 

 spines which are often conspicuous on young specimens. 



The specimens (no. 878) and photographs on which this genus 

 and species were based were secured on the limestone hills near the 

 wagon road between Bayamon and Toa Baja where the present 

 palm is not uncommon. 



Curima appeared to be especially abundant about Bayamon 

 but is probably rather generally distributed in the limestone hills 

 of the island, perhaps also on other soils. A few trees were seen 

 along the road betvyeen Utuado and Lares, and numerous others 

 between Isolina and Manati. Sintenis collected specimens of what 

 is apparently the same species near Juncos and Hato Grande, 

 and at Maricao young specimens discussed under Bactris acantho- 

 phvlla. 



As far as Puerto Rico is concerned, this palm is very easily 

 recognized by means of the curiously truncate leaf-divisions, the 

 outer margins of which appear as though accidentally injured or 



