270 FLORA VITIENSIS. 
exterioris ovato-triangularibus, rudimento germinis brevi ovato.—Areca (2) exorrhiza, Herm. Wendl. 
Bonpl. 1861, p. 260, excl. descript. fruct.—Mountains of Somososo, near the Lake, island of Taviuni 
(Seemann! n. 660). 
This Palm is remarkably straight, and often more than sixty feet high. The trunk is unarmed, smooth, 
and of a whitish colour; it is at a couple of feet above the base, from two to three feet in circumference. 
When the tree gets old, numerous aerial roots, all covered with spines, begin to appear, forcibly reminding 
oue of the Zriartea exorrhiza in tropical America. The leaves are from ten to twelve feet long, pinnatifid, 
and the segments four feet long and two inches broad. Before expanding they are perfectly erect, looking 
like a pole inserted into the heart of the foliage. The flowers appear below the crown of the leaves, growing 
out of the old wood ; they are enveloped in thick eoriaceous boat-shaped spathes, which, unlike those of the 
Sakiki (Pritchardia pacifica, Seem. et Herm. Wendl.), are not subject to rapid decay. 
ExPLANATION OF Prare LXXVIII, representing Kentia exorrhiza. Fig. 1, miniature portrait of the 
entire plant; 2, portion of leaf (naf. size); 3, portion of spatha (nat. size) ; 4, portion of spadix (nat. size) ; 
5, bud of male flower; 6, male flower open; 7, stamens and abortive stigmas; Figs. 5—7, magnified. 
II. Veitchia, (gen. nov.) Herm. Wendl. mss.—S padix duplicato-ramosissimus, androgynus, su- 
perne d,spathis 2 deciduis. Flores in alveolis immersi, inferne 3 medii 9 , superne 2 g , alteri super 
alteros positi centrifugi. Fl. 2: Calyx 3-sepalus, sepalis oblongo-rotundatis margine denticulatis 
membranaceis imbricatis. Corolla 3-petala, petalis oblique oblongis, przfloratione valvata. Stamina 
6, inclusa ; filamentis brevibus subulatis ; antheris linearibus dorso affixis. Ovarii rudimentum colum- 
nare, apice obtusum, staminum longitudine. Fl. 9: Calyx corollaque 3-phylli, phyllis conformibus 
orbieulato-oblongis. Staminodia 6, minima, Ovarium ovoideum, 1-loculare, stigmatibus minutis ; 
ovulo fere longitudinaliter affixo hemianatropo. Fructus ovoideus v. oblongo-ellipsoideus, erectus, 
stigmatibus apicalibus, 1-spermus, magnus, Arecarum simillimus, levis, mesocarpio crasso plus minusve 
fibroso, endocarpio crustaceo tenui. Semen longitudinaliter endocarpio affixum, subglobosum 
v. oblongo-ellipsoideum, rapheos ramis oo subparallele semen circumcurrentibus in dorso laxe 
anastomosantibus. Albumen : æquabile. Embryo basilaris, erectus.—Palme inermes, caudice erecto 
simplici columnari, foliis plus minusve squamosis pinnatisectis, segmentis linearibus preemorsis mar- 
ginatis, spadicibus magnis, fructibus flavescentibus v. aurantiacis majuseulis.—In memoriam gentis 
Jacobi Veitch, mercatorum plantarum Londinensium celeberrimorum hortulanorum et introductorum 
plantarum novarum hoc genus novum dedicavi. 
“This genus is closely allied to Ptychosperma, Labill, from which it differs in the position of the 
male flowers (which are in couples on the upper part of the spadix) in having only 6 stamens, in its hemi- 
anatropous, almost longitudinally affixed ovules, in its large fibrous mesocarp, and even albumen. At 
present four species are known—there being, besides the three enumerated below from the Viti Islands, a 
fourth from the N ew Hebrides, viz., V. spiralis (sp. nov.), Herm. Wendl. mss. ; fructibus lato-ovoideis ; semi- 
nibus subglobosis apice brevi-apiculatis badiis ; raphi lata ejusdem ramis oo spiraliter albumen amplectentibus 
apice parallelis basin versus paulum reticulato-anastomosantibus.—Nomen vernac. Aneitense, teste 
M‘Gillivray, “ Nakoai.”—Island of Aneitum, New Hebrides (M'Gillivray! in Mus. Brit). The fruit only 
is known; itis broadly ovoid, 4 em. long, and not quite as many in diameter ; the fibres of the mesocarp adhere 
together somewhat like those of V. Storckii, but they are more free from the base. The seed is nearly 
spherical, slightly protracted on the apex, 26 mm. long, and nearly 26 mm. in diameter. From the raphe 
issue a number of delicate, somewhat spiral, vascular bundles or branches."—Herm. Wendl. mss. 
l. V. Storckii, (sp. nov.) Herm. Wendl. mss. (Tab. LXXXI.) ; fructibus ellipsoideis ; seminibus 
elongato-ovoideis apice obtusis in latere ventrali applanatis testaceis; raphi lata ejusdem ramis valde 
irregulariter anastomosantibus.—Nomen vernac. Vitiense, teste Storck, “ Vuleito."— Banks of the 
Rewa river, Viti Levu (Pickering! Storck! Greffe p: 
“ From notes furnished by Mr. Jacob Storck it appears that this Palm attains 40 feet in height, has a 
hard and smooth trunk (dark brown towards the base, and light brown towards the top), and has the base 
of the petiole short and gradually merging into the rachis, as is the case in Cocos nucifera. The leaf-seg- 
