cook: glaucothea, 'a new genus of palms 239 



Glaucothea armata (S. Wats.) Cook. 



Trunk in robust specimens attaining a circumference of about 11 

 feet, or a diameter of over 3 feet, the height said to attain 40 feet and 

 upward in the wild state, but most of the cultivated individuals still 

 under 20 feet. 



Leaves very numerous, forming a large crown, the basal sheath 

 becoming everted only near the end, but much farther up than in 

 Erythea, the petioles thus appearing shorter; surface of petioles beset 

 with small deep purplish-brown scales, these more numerous in the 

 lower part, but much less abundant than in Erythea; margins of petioles 

 indurated, ivory white, armed with strong, curved white teeth, these 

 extremely variable in form and distribution; ligule thin and papery, 

 not densely tomentose-spongy as in Erythea; rachis evident, distinctly 

 decurved; several of the median segments distinctly narrowed, and 

 also some of the basal segments, but much fewer than in Enjthea echilis. 



Spathes green and glaucous when young, without pubescence or 

 scurf except on narrow lines along the margins; lowest spathe about 

 2 feet long and 3 inches broad, split on both sides at apex, the others 

 split on only one side. 



Flowers dull purplish in color instead of creamy white as in Erythea 

 edulis, smaller in size and much less conspicuous at the time of flower- 

 ing, not opened widely; buds also of different shape, more rounded 

 at apex and relatively wider at base because of the large fleshy sepals; 

 flower-clusters subtended by minute bracts less conspicuous than those 

 of Erythea. 



The descriptions of the inflorescences and flowers are based on 

 material taken from a living palm in the collection of Mr. C. B. Hale 

 at Santa Barbara, California, July 7, 1913. The specimens are in the 

 U. S. National Herbarium, under numbers 694866 and 694867. 



CONTRASTING CHARACTERS OF ERYTHEA^ 



Trunk rather slender, in comparison with Glaucothea, columnar, 

 scarcely thickened at the base. 



Leaves fewer and broader than in Glaucothea; leaf-sheaths recurved 

 well below the end, the recurved portion distinguished by the fibers 

 along the margins, functioning with the petiole and increasing its ap- 

 parent length; margins of petiole denticulate near the base, often 



2 For the original description of Erythea, see Watson, S.,. Botany of California, 

 2:211. 1S80. 



