Palms of Puerto Rico 569 



somewhat smaller than those of Acrista to which they might 

 also be said to have a general similarity, except at the base where 

 their cocoid proclivities become obvious. At a little distance 

 Cocops might be overlooked as Acrista, while at shorter range it 

 might be mistaken for a very depauperate cocoanut. No species 

 of Cocos is, however, known to be native in the West Indies except 

 the doubtful Cocos crispus H.B.K., from Cuba. 



As a species Cocops rivalis may prove to be similar to Syagrus 

 amara (Jacquin), which is reported as far north as Jamaica, but it 

 seems to have no true generic affinity with Syagrus cocoides Mar- 

 tius, the South American palm which is the type of its genus. 

 According to Martius 5. amara is 30 cm. in diameter, as large or 

 larger than Cocos nucifera and attains the height of from 20 to 35 

 meters ; Syagrus cocoides, on the other hand, is a small slender 

 palm with a trunk 2.5-3 m. high and 5-7.5 cm. in diameter, and 

 with foliage and habit resembling the slender and diffuse South 

 American species referred by Martius to Cocos, but very different 

 from Cocos nucifera or from Cocops. 



A leaf collected by Sintenis (no. 6061) near Camuy and 

 coming from Berlin labeled Orcodoxa, obviously did not originate 

 with an arecoid palm, but probably belongs with the present 

 species. The region of Camuy is but a few miles from Lares, 

 but there is much extremely rough and unoccupied country be- 

 tween, so that the danger of extermination appears to be some- 

 what diminished. 



Explanation of Plaits 



Plate 43. Thrincoma alta, top of type specimen (no. 848). 



Plate 44. Thrincoma alta, part of leaf and seeds, natural size. 



Plate 45. Tkrinax Ponceana, type (no. 1005). 



Plate 46. Acrista monticola, type (no. 761) collected near Adjuntas. 



Plate 47. Fig. 1, Aeria attenuata. Fig. 2, Cocops rivalis (left) and Roystonea 

 BorinqueJia ( right ) . 



Plate 48. Curima colophylla, apex of flower-cluster and terminal leaf-division, 

 natural size. From type specimen (no. 878). 



