3034 Leaflets of Philippine Botany [Vol. vm, Art. 120 



in the segmented portion; petiole 30 cm. long, flattened, 

 variously prickly especially along the edges; rachis con- 

 spicuously spinescent throughout on the upper surface 

 and armed beneath with 3 to 5 nate claws. Leaflets 

 numerous, equidistant, narrowiy lanceolate, acuminate to 

 subulate or even spinulous at the tips, concolorous, rigidu- 

 lous; their upper surface is smooth except for the fewspin- 

 ules on the midvein near the apex; the lower side of the 

 midvein bears even fewer spinules and is furnished with 

 a special and relatively strong spinule exactly at the 

 base; the other veins are smooth; the 2 nerves on each 

 side of the midvein appear dotted by transmitted light; 

 transverse veinlets rather sharp, short and interrupted; 

 margins closely and sharply spinulous; the intermediate 

 leaflets are 30 to 32 cm. long and 2.5 cm- broad. Female 

 spadix strict, at first erect, later when loaded with fruits 

 apparently nodding, 45 cm. long and composed of 5 or 

 6 superposed appressed partial inflorescences; their axial 

 parts are clothed with a soft but dense partly deciduous 

 rusty brown felt; primary spathes thickly chartaceous, 

 lanceolate to acuminate, cinnamon brown inside; the 

 outermost spathe covered all over with fascicled or briefly 

 seriate slender spiculae; the inner spathes have only 

 the apices spiculiferous; partial inflorescences erect, 

 appressed to the main axis; the lower ones are 12 to 



14 cm, long and have on each side 5 or 6 gradually 

 shortened spikelets inserted at rather an acute angle; 

 spikelets of the lower part of every partial inflorescence 

 o to 6 mm. long and with 4 to 6 flowers on each side; 

 the upoer spikelets speedily become shorter and with 

 fewer flowers, all with a rather thick main axis. The 

 fruiting perianth is short obconic, the calyx and corolla 

 decayed and reduced to fibrous elements only The fruits 

 are borne on very thick triangular to pyramidal 5 to 

 6 mm. long pedicels, and which are inserted at a very 

 scute angle and formed by the union of a very well 

 developed involuerophorum, with a short involucre; areola 

 of the neuter flower obscurely niche- like. The apparently 

 immature fruit having almost attained its definte size is 



15 to 16 mm. long, 11 mm. wide, ovoidly elliptic, almost 

 similarly narrowed toward both ends, shortly and broadly 

 conical above and terminated by a mucronate point; scales 

 in 15 vertical series; in each series at least 5 of them 

 are well conformed, rather strongly convex, very shining, 

 of a light straw color and with a broad brownish red 

 band in their anticous parts; are broadly grooved especially 

 posticously along the center, their margins narrowly 



