Beccari. — A New South Polynesian Palm. 47 



Art. III. ■ — On a New South Polynesian Paha, with Notes on the Genus 



Rhopalostylis Wendl. et Drude. 



By Dr. Odoardo Beccari (Florence, Italy). 



Communicated by T. F. Cheeseman, F.L.S. 



[Read before the Auckland Institute, 13th December, 1916 ; received by Editors, 30th 

 December, 1916; issued separately, 28th June, 1917.] 



In a visit paid in August, 1887, by Mr. T. F. Cheeseman to the Kermadec 

 Islands Group, lying in latitude 30° S. in the South Polynesian Sea, there 

 was found growing very abundantly on Sunday Island, one of the group, 

 a fine palm, which at the time of the visit was not bearing flowers, but was 

 loaded with large bunches of nearly mature fruits. Specimens of this palm, 

 supposed to belong to Rhopalostylis Baueri, or to a variety of it, were sent 

 to Kew from the herbarium of the Auckland Museum, and transmitted to 

 me in Florence some time ago. These specimens (wanting the flowers, 

 and only a few detached fruits being available for study) were not sufficient 

 for a rigorous specific identification. Quite recently, however, having 

 received, also from Kew, portions of the flowering spadix of the same palm, 

 its affinity to Rhopalostylis Baueri and R. sapida was rendered quite clear ; 

 but yet it proved to be a palm specifically distinct from either, on account 

 especially of the shape and other peculiarities of its fruits. The flowers 

 of the Kermadec palm were derived from a plant that, as Mr. Cheeseman 

 informs me, flowered recently in Auckland from seeds originally collected 

 in those islands. 



It is for me a doubly pleasant task to distinguish with the name of its 

 discoverer this new palm from the temperate Australian regions, as I hope 

 that through Mr. Cheeseman's exertions it may soon become a new inmate 

 in our Mediterranean gardens, as have the two already- known Rhopalostylis ; 

 and also in memory of the fine trip made on the 12th March, 1878, under 

 Mr. Cheeseman's guidance, to the Titirangi Ranges, near Auckland, where 

 I was able to admire Rhopalostylis sapida, the nearest ally of the Kermadec 

 palm, in its native home. 



Rhopalostylis Cheesemanii Becc. n. sp. 



A fine palm with a straight solitary stem, attaining 60 ft. (about 18 m.) 

 in height, and producing large bunches of fruits 2 ft. (60 cm.) in diameter. 

 The primordial leaves have the blade 12-20 cm. long, deeply bifid, or formed 

 by two lanceolate slightly falcate leaflets, united by their bases ; their 

 petiolar part is elongate, and besprinkled with appressed rusty scales. 



One leaf from a young plant is pinnate, and carries several leaflets on 

 each side of the rhachis, upon which they are attached by means of a broad 

 base ; such leaflets are narrowly lanceolate-subfalcate, and very acuminate 

 to a capillary tip ; their lower surface is besprinkled with very minute brown 

 scales, considerably smaller than those of the petiole and rhachis. The 

 leaflets of the adult plant are ensiform, have the upper end gradually acumi- 

 nate and very slightly falcate, and the lower end slightly narrowed and 

 very slightly curved (sigmoid) ; the bases are relatively broad and the 

 margins not reduplicate ; are green above, subglaucescent beneath, and 

 very distinctly 3-costulate ; the costae are especially prominent on the 

 lower surface, and slightly scaly-iurfuraceous there, especially near the 

 base ; the side costae are not so strong as the middle one, and become feebler 

 from the middle upwards ; the secondary nerves are slender, and barely 



