54 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. 80CIETY, Vol. XXV. 



lip, reaching 50 feet in length. Petiole very stout, relatively 

 short, abruptly dilated at the base into a short and broad 

 sheath surrounding the stem, deeply excavated c>n the upper 

 side, convex on the lower ; margins very acute, armed with 

 short pale ascending spines, similar to those at the base of the 

 segments. Segments very numerous, biseriate and more or 

 less distinctly geminate on both sides of the rhachis, broadly linear, 

 very slightly restricted towai'ds the base, long-acuminate, very thin- 

 ly coriaceous, rigid for the greater part of their length, green and 

 shining above, whitish-pulverulent below. The segments vary as 

 to length and breadth on the same leaf according to their position : 

 the lowest are very acuminate ; as long as the middle ones, but 

 naiTOwer, about -| inch broad, and more spinous than these. The 

 central segments are distinctly geminate, the bigger ones 4-4f feet 

 long, sometimes up to 6 feet, and 15-lf inch bi'oad, spinulose on the 

 margins, more or less spinulose on the median rib, or also entirely 

 unarmed. The segments near the apex become gradually smaller 

 as to length and breadth, less distinctly geminate and entirely 

 unarmed. 



Spadix veiy large, rising successively from the axils of the highest 

 leaves, first erect, then recurved and turned downwards ; the same 

 plant bears several spadices at the same time and of different age ; 

 they vaiy in length from 7-11 feet. Spadix cylindric, about 8 inches 

 thick at the time of flowering ; peduncle stoitt, recurved, slightly 

 compressed, about 5 inches broad, sheathed below by 2 coriaceous, 

 about 3f feet long, spathes ; the outer spatlie acutely bicarinate ; then 

 follow other empty spathes which surround the peduncular part ; and 

 finally there are many others of which each bears in its axil a 

 partial inflorescence. Partial inflorescences compressed, short and 

 broad, 6-8 inches long, cimeate at the base, getting gradually 

 broader towards the apex, divided into branches or floriferous spike- 

 lets of unequal length. Each partial inflorescence arises from the 

 axil of a primary spathe which is rather broader than long and 

 which terminates abruptly in an acuminate apex, being, on the 

 whole, longer than the corresponding inflorescence. Primary spathes 

 thinly coriaceous, of chestnut colour inside, hazel outside. Each 

 inflorescence has a very short peduncular part which is strongly com- 

 pressed, 5-lf inch long, |^-± inch broad, and sheathed by a short 

 secondary spathe ; this is narrowly sheathing, narrowlj'- 2-winged, 

 prolonged at the apex to the right and left into a very acuminate 

 subfalcate and acutely carinate apex ; the tertiary spathes, from 

 the axils of which rise the spikelets, are close to each other, 

 very shortly infundibuliform truncate at the apex, entire, non- 

 ciliate, with a thin margin. Spikelets bearing perfectly bifarious 

 flowers, vermiform, strongly compressed, slightly sinuose, about 

 I inch broad at the base, getting very slightly thinner towards 



