cook: glaucothea, a new genus of palms 237 



Glaucothea appears to be well adapted to these arid regions, 

 and as hardy as Washingtonia filifera, which produces fruit in 

 abundance in the Salt River valley of Arizona, as well as in 

 southern California, though not near the coast. 



Glaucothea shares with Washingtonia the habit of not pro- 

 ducing flowers when young, or until the trunk has attained a 

 height of 15 or 20 feet, while Erythea edulis commonly flowers 

 at 5 or 6 feet. Another point of agreement between Wash- 

 ingtonia and Glaucothea is the production of very long slender 

 inflorescences, extending far beyond the leaves. These are in 

 striking contrast with the inflorescences of Erythea edulis, 

 which hardly exceed the petioles of. the leaves. The massive 

 trunk and heavily armed petioles of Glaucothea afford further 

 analogies with Washingtonia and obvious contrasts to Erythea. 



Though more closely allied in its botanical characters to 

 Erythea, the new genus may be distinguished at once, in any 

 stage of development, by the color of the foliage. The floral 

 structures are similar to those of Erythea, but definite speciali- 

 zations are shown. As in many desert plants, the flowers are 

 reduced in size and of thicker texture, and the buds are pro- 

 tected by relatively larger and more fleshy sepals. The petals 

 are attached close to the rim of the staminal cup and are not 

 opened widely at the time of flowering, which no doubt reduces 

 the danger of drying the stigma and thus preventing pollination. 

 These and other differences are summarized in the following 

 diagnosis : 



Glaucothea Cook, gen. nov. 



Distinguished from Erythea by the very robust trunk, strongly armed 

 petiole, thin, papery ligule, decurved midrib, narrow median segments 

 and glaucous, wax-covered leaf -surfaces ; inflorescences slender, elon- 

 gate, greatly exceeding the leaves, the lower primary branches sub- 

 tended by spathes, the others without spathes; sepals thick and fleshy; 

 petals broadly triangular, rounded at the apex, attached close to the 

 broadly sinuate rim of the staminal cup. 



The type species, as already stated, is Glaucothea armata (S. Wats.), 

 from the northern part of Lower California. The generic name was 

 suggested by the relationship with Erythea, though not derived in 

 the same manner. Glaucothea means "Gray Goddess," and may be 



