Corypha. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 175 
deeply channelled, the sharp margins armed with nu- 
merous, short, strong, dark-coloured polished, com- 
pressed spines. Spathes just as numerous as the prima- 
ry and secondary ramifications in the spadix, all 
smooth, and obtuse. Spadix supra-decompound, issuing 
in the month of February from the apex of the tree, 
and centre of the leaves, forming an immense, diffuse, 
ovate panicle, of about twenty or more feet in height, 
so that the height of the whole tree, form the ground to 
the top of the spadix is now about fifty feet. Primary 
branches alternate, round, spreading nearly horizontal, 
with their apices ascending. Secondary ramifications 
alternate, bifarious, compressed, drooping, recurved, 
soon dividing into numerous, variously curved, smaller, 
subcylindric, branchlets, covered with innumerable, small 
white, odorous, subsessile flowers. Calyx; perianth 
inferior, minute, obscurely three-toothed. Petals three, 
oblong, concave, fleshy, smooth, expanding, many times 
larger than the perianth. Nonectary. Filaments six, — 
nearly of the length of the petals, at the base broad, and 
in some measure united. © Anthers ovate. Germ above, 
three-lobed, three-celled with the embryo of a distinct seed 
in each, attached to the bottom of its cell. Style shorter 
than the stamina. Stigma simple. Berries from one to 
three conjoined, though one is the most common, and 
then the rudiments of the other two are present, they are 
Singly quite round, about the size of a crab-apple, when 
Tipe, wrinkled, and of a dark olive, or greenish yellow 
Colour. The pulp is but in small proportion, and yellow 
When the fruitis ripe. Seed solitary, round, attached to 
the base of the berry, of a white colour, and horny sub- 
Stance, with a small vacuum in the centre. Embryo 
lodged i in the apex, which circumstance alone, is sufficient 
to distinguish it from Gertner’s Crypha umbraculifera, 
» The leaves of this tree are employed by the native : ee 
‘© write on with their pointed steel bodkins, and so to 
