l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 98 



The peduncle is relatively smaller and more compressed than in 

 Plectis, except the basal joint, which is strongly swollen and in- 

 durated, 3.5 cm. long in the middle, 6 cm. wide at the notches below 

 the spathe scar, and 12-14 cm. wide across the basal rim that em- 

 braces and nearly encircles the trunk, the ends only 5-6 cm. apart ; the 

 line of attachment, where the fibers from the inflorescence enter the 

 trunk, very narrow, only 4 mm. wide ; lower face of joint abruptly 

 swollen immediately below the spathe scar, whereas the lower joint 

 of Plectis is only slightly and gradually swollen on the lower side, 

 though distinctly swollen in the middle of the upper side. Second and 

 third joints more abruptly reduced than in Plectis, though relatively 

 longer, because the first joint is shortened ; second joint more than 

 half as long as the basal joint and nearly twice as long as the third 

 joint, whereas in Plectis the first joint may be two or three times as 

 long as the second, and the third joint nearly equal to the second. The 

 entire inflorescence in flowering and fruiting stages shown in plate 13, 

 figures c, d, c and /, with the remarkable enlarged basal joint, this also 

 in natural size, with the basal joints of the axis in plates 11 and 12. 



Axis much longer than the peduncle, though relatively short, from 

 lowest to highest branch 27-29 cm., instead of 38 cm. in Plectis, 

 closely beset with about 80 branches, not including those suppressed 

 near the base, 18 on the upper side and 6 on the lower, or about 100 

 branch positions in all ; the lower branches and branch positions sub- 

 tended by short transverse bracts, much broader than long ; bract of 

 third joint 1.5 cm. long, 2.3 cm. wide ; bract of first branch 5 mm. long, 

 1.8 cm. wide, other bracts 2 mm. long, 1 cm. wide, gradually smaller, 

 these reduced bracts notably contrasting with the large linguiform 

 bracts or secondary spathes that subtend the lower branches of Plectis, 

 shown in plate 22. End of axis appreciably thicker than the branches, 

 attaining 6 mm., the branches 5 mm. or less, gradually tapering to 

 3 mm. Naked base of branches attaining 3 cm. Lower branches at- 

 taining 57 cm. long, upper branches 43-45 cm. The male flowers are 

 mature on the lower and middle sections of the branches soon after 

 the inflorescence is exposed, but near the ends of the branches are 

 many undeveloped flowers with the corolla not emerging beyond the 

 calyx. A branch at the stage of flowering is shown in plate 14 at the 

 left, cut in three sections, with many full-sized male buds still in place, 

 but the flowers fallen, leaving many female buds standing alone, 

 natural size ; also detached male flowers and upper sections of a less- 

 developed branch with the male flower-buds still in place. Lower 

 sections of two mature fruit-bearing branches are shown in plate 16. 



