JOURNAL 



OF THE 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Vol. VII MARCH 4, 1917 No. 5 



BOTANY. — The Mascarene cabbage palm as a new genus. O. F. 

 Cook, Bureau of Plant Industry. 



Soon after landing at Payta, in northern Peru, March 24, 1915, 

 my attention was attracted by a palm growing in the garden of 

 the plaza. Seen from a distance there was a marked similarity 

 in habit and general appearance to the coconut palm, but the 

 proportions were smaller throughout. With a closer view it was 

 soon apparent that the palm did not belong to any American 

 group but to the Old World family Arecaceae, natives of the 

 islands and shores of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Relation- 

 ship with the genus Loroma, described in a former volume of 

 this Journal, 1 became apparent from an examination of the 

 flowers and fruits, and notes were made of the following features : 



Trunk riniose, about 6 inches in diameter, thickened at the base to 

 a foot or over, bearing a crown of about 12 leaves, of the general form, 

 texture, and light yellowish-green color of the leaves of the coconut 

 palm, but only about half as long (7-8 feet), with 60-62 pinnae on each 

 side of the rachis. Leaf sheaths grayish, scaly on the back. Lowest 

 pinnae much reduced, the first measuring 8 mm. wide by about 18 cm. 

 long, remaining connected with those above by long marginal ribbons. 

 Second pinnae 9 nun. by 17 cm.; fifth pinnae 1.3 cm. by 28 cm., split 

 at tip; middle pinnae 5.3 by 87 cm., split at the tip a distance of 10- 

 12 cm.; penultimate pinnae 2.8 by 35 cm.; uppermost pinnae about 

 2.7 cm. by 30 cm., but irregular, consisting of 2-3 small united seg- 

 ments. 



Inflorescence attaining a length of 62 cm., the basal joint 4 cm. long, 

 very broad, encircling the trunk. Second joint 1 cm. long, the branches 



1 Jo urn. Wash. Acad. Sci., 5: 117. 1915. 



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