Saguerus. MONOECIA POLYANDRIA, 627 
size and age, these drop off, leaving an elegant, columnar, 
naked trunk, as described by Rumphius. The whole height 
of the largest of the trees in the Botanic garden, including 
the leaves, about forty feet; the trunk rises fifteen or twenty 
feet, and the rest is made up by the fronds or leaves alone. 
Fronds pinnate, from fifteen to twenty-five feet long. Leaf-° 
lets sessile, approximated, numerous, opposite, also alternate, 
sword-shaped, their greatest breadth being near the base ; 
a blunt barbed process on one, or both sides of the base, 
accounts for their greatest breadth being there ; numerous 
parallel fibres run lengthways on-each side of the large, 
middle, four-sided nerve ; these end in acute, spinous points 
on each side, and as the breadth contracts most towards the — 
apex, these sharp points are there more numerous ; the apex 
is preemorse, or variously ragged, with the same points; the 
upper surface smooth, of a shining deep green; the under 
side is clothed with much ash-coloured, mealy matter, which 
is firmly attached to the substance of the leaflets ; the length 
from three to five feet, the greatest breadth from four to five 
inches. Stipes with broad, stem-clasping bases, fringed with 
a very large portion of strong black fibres, like coarse black 
horse hair, intermixed with firm twigs, not unlike long, slen- 
der porcupine’s quills; these serve to make their adhesion 
to the trunk more firm. Above they become three-sided, 
tapering, pretty smooth, except for a portion of mealy mat- 
ter with which they are covered, till it is removed by fric- 
tion. Length below the leaflets from four to six feet, leaflet- 
bearing portion from twelve to twenty feet. Spathe of many 
short imbricated leaflets, entirely covering the base or un- 
divided part of the spadix. Spadix pendulous, branchy, 
. from above six to ten feet long. In general they issue singly 
from the middle of the base of the stipes. Branches numer- 
ous, and simple, all perfectly pendulous, , Mae FLOWERS 
numerous, occupying the lower spadices, without any mix- 
* ture of female ones, and then in pairs, they are large, and the 
-anthers loaded with pollen ; sometimes they are mixed with 
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