784 | DIOECIA HEXANDRIA, Phenix. 
A native of Behar. Flowering time in the Botanic garden 
the cold season. The seed ripens in April and May. 
Stem none in plants ten years old; at this age when in flow- 
er, the whole body of the plant, including the inflorescence, 
but exclusive of the foliage, is of an ovate form, and not exceed 
ing six or eight inches in height from the surface of the 
ground. Leaves (fronds, L.) pimate; from two to six feet long. 
Leaflets in nearly opposite, rather remote fascicles ; the supe- 
- rior ones folded, slender, ensiform, and about eighteen inches 
long; the lower ones small, straight, rigid, and ending in very 
sharp, spinous points. Petioles (stipes) near the base flat, 
towards the apex triangular, smooth, Maze. Spathes and 
spadiz as in the female, hereafter described. lowers alter- 
nate, solitary, sessile, small, pale yellow. Calyx one-leay- 
ed, triangular; angles or lobes acute and unequal. Corol 
three-petalled ; petals obliquely-lanceolate, acute, slightly 
united at the base. Filaments six, very short, inserted into 
the base of the corol, Anihers linear, nearly as long as the 
petals, Pistil none. Femare. Spathes universal, axillary, 
solitary, one-valved, about six inches long, with their base 
rather below the surface of the earth, generally splitting into 
two portions down the middle, on each side. Spadix ramous, 
composed of many, simple, short, erect, flexuose branches; 
all are smooth, and of a pale yellow. lowers alternate, 
solitary, sessile, in bractiform notches on the sides of the 
branches of the spadix. Calyx cup-shaped, truncate, with 
three obscure points at equal distances on the margin, Pe- 
tals three, sub-rotund, thick and fleshy, concave, smooth. 
‘Nectary a small, six-toothed cup, in which the germs sit. 
Germs three, each one-celled, and containing a single ovulum 
attached to the middle of the cell on the inside, Styles three, 
recurved, small, and short, Stigma small. Drupe oval, 
fleshy, small, smooth, of a bright red, of the size of a very 
small olive, one-celled. Seed solitary, oblong, with a deep 
longitudinal groove on one side. eon in the middle of 
the back, or convex side of the seed. _ , 
Soe Se 
