180 HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. LlCUala. 



web of strong, coarse, light brown fibres, wliich issue fiom 

 the margins, and begin where the spines end. Spadices 

 axillary, solitary, rising several feet above the leaves, 

 their whole length being from ten to fifteen feet, of one 

 uniform thickness, which is that of a man's fore-finger ; 

 from the upper part, at the distance of about a foot from 

 each other, issue pendulous, cylindric spikes of about a 

 foot and a half long beyond the spathe; these are whol- 

 ly covered by numerous, sessile, diverging, pretty large, 

 greenish white, inodorous flowers. Spathes seven or eight, 

 tubular,embraciiig the whole of the spadix; from the mouths 

 of the last four or five, the pendulous spikes issue ; all 

 the tender parts are covered with a large portion of fe- 

 ruginous dust. Calyx inferior, one-leaved, campanulate ; 

 mouth obscurely three-toothed ; outside sericeous, per- 

 manent. Corol one-petalled, outside sericeous, perma- 

 nent. Tube campanulate, the length of the calyx. Borders 

 three-cleft ; divisions expanding and tapering to rather 

 obtuse points. No nectarium. Filaments six, short, broad 

 at the base, and inserted round the inside of the mouth 

 of the tube of the corol. Anthers sagittate. Germs three, 

 forming a short, turbinate, truncate body, like a single 

 germ, but perfectly distinct, except the base of the style, 

 which is about as long as the stamina, and rises equally 

 from the three, and keeps them together. Stigma simple. 

 Drupe obovate, the size of a field bean ; a little to the in- 

 side of the vertex a three-cornered, three-toothed tubercle 

 marks where the style joins this fertile lobe of the germ to 

 the two abortive ones ; when ripe orange-red, and smooth, 

 one celled. Pulp in considerable quantity, orange-colour- 

 ed. Nut conform to the drupe, much pointed below ; above 

 are three slight elevations running from a point under 

 the tubercle of the drupe, hard, dark brown, one-celled- 

 S<:,ed sinj^le, conform to the nut. Integuments a single, 

 very thin, brown membrane. Perisperm conform to the 

 seed, horny, from the back a ferruginous spongy body 



