92 
broad bases ; mid-costa rather strong and prominent above, slender beneath, 
and furnished (in proximity to the base) with a few narrow and long 
ramentaceous scales; on each side of the mid-costa is a very slender, 
secondary nerve, slightly prominent on the under surface, and marked by a 
faint furrow above ; tertiary nerves numerous and distinct, giving a neatly 
striate appearance to both surfaces; the margins are very sharp (not 
furnished with a marginal nerve) ; the lowest leaflets are very narrow, very, 
long-acuminate to a slender, subulate apex, 5-12 mm. broad, 35-40 em. long, 
and are slightly falciform ; the intermediate leaflets are 50-55 cm. long and 
2-5 em. wide, slightly narrow above and have also a tendency to be falcate at 
the apex, which is acute, but subbifid with a small indentation on the lower 
margin ; the upper leaflets are quite straight, gradually shorter and narrower 
than the intermediate, and have the apex truncate and preemorse ; the two 
terminal are the smallest, 22-25 cm. long, 1-3-costulate, and quite free at 
the base. Spadia scopiform, apparently twice branched, the primary 
branches not numerous, divided (nearly from the base) into a few (3-4 in 
the specimens at hand) secondary or flower-bearing branches. Complete 
spathes apparently two (the outer not seen by me), the inner lanceolate- 
subfalcate, acuminate, about 50 cm. long, 5 cm. wide, papyraceous, flattened, 
and finely striate, the margins not winged. Flower-bearing branches straight, 
slender, but rigid, 40-50 cm. long, of the uniform thickness of 2-3 mm. 
from base to apex, glabrous, finely wrinkled in the dry condition; in their 
lower part the branches apparently carry male flowers only, but in the 
remainder, up to the apex, the flowers are in glomerules of 3, that in 
the middle being a female, and the two side ones male; the glomerules 
rest on superficial pulvinuli; they are in opposite pairs, and the pairs are 
decussate, and between the pairs the branches are flattened in alternate 
directions ; the pulvinuli are surrounded by very narrow semiannular bracts. 
Male flowers 12-15 mm. long, sessile, asymmetrical ; the calyx very small, 
trigonous, with 3 acute teeth; the corolla several times longer than the 
calyx ; the petals narrowly lanceolate, almost flat, very long-acuminate- 
subulate, the apices wavy-falcate; stamens 6-8, filaments very short and 
thick ; anthers erect, one-third shorter than the petals, linear-lanceolate 
sinuose-subulate-aristate ; rudimentary ovary very short, terminated by 3 
small horns. emule flowers ripen a little after the male, have a globular 
base, and a trigonous, pyramidate-acuminate, and subfalcate point; the 
calyx is low, cupular-subtruncate, formed by broad sepals, having rounded, 
hyaline, ciliate margins ; petals strongly imbricate, concave, orbicular in 
their basal part, and suddenly contracted into a valvate, trigonous-acuminate, 
thickish point, longer than the broadened basal part ; staminodes 6, very 
small, tooth-like. Ovary broadly ovoid, suddenly shortened into 3 fleshy, 
slender, obtuse stigmas. The young fruit has a glossy or polished surface, 
is 5 mm. in diam, and 10 mm. long, including the perianth, and has a 
