,OncospermaI\ PalmeCB. 323 



Caryota mitts (?) Moon, Cat. 64. Ptychosperma 7-upicola. Thwi 

 Tnum. 328. C. P. 2732. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 413. Bot. Mag. t. 6358. 



Trunk 30-40 ft. by ij in. diam., dull green, base swollen, 

 soboliferous ; 1. about 10, 5-6 ft. long, by about 3-4 broad, 

 petiole i-i| ft, with a short green sheathing base ; leaflets 

 12-20 pairs, rather distant, spreading and decurved, sessile, 

 linear, tip obliquely truncate and notched, bright green above, 

 glaucous and sparsely furfuraceous beneath, terminal one or 

 two pairs confluent; lower spathe 12 in. long, narrowly 

 cymbiform, coriaceous, pale brown, dotted with peltate fur- 

 furaceous scales; spadix 12 in. long, triangular in outline, 

 coral red, quite smooth, ped. short, stout, annulate, branches 

 erecto-patent ; fl. blood red ; male fl. about \ in. diam., fil. 

 stout, equalling the linear anth., pistillode minute, trifid; fern, 

 fl. ovoid; ov. obliquely ovoid, ovule pendulous; fr. about f in. 

 diam., smooth, sarcocarp fibrous. 



On cliffs and rocks in the moist region, from 1000-5000 ft. ; rather 

 common. Fl. Feb. ; spadix fl. and fr. blood-red. 

 Endemic. 

 The seed is used for mastication with betel, like that of the Arecas. 



3. ONCOSPHRBXA, Bl. 



Trunk tall, spinous, annulate ; 1. terminal, pinnatisect, 

 "leaflets narrow, in 2 or more series, sides reduplicate; spathes 

 2, complete, ensiform, caducous; spadix infrafoliar, branched, 

 monoecious, fl. sessile, spirally crowded on the branches, the 

 upper solitary, male, the lower ternate, a fem. between 2 

 males; male fl. asymmetric, sep. suborbicular, acute, imbricate, 

 pet. obliquely ovate, valvate ; stam. 6-12, pistillode columnar, 

 3-fid; fem. fl. globose, sep. and pet. orbicular, imbricate, 

 staminodes 6; ov. obliquely ovoid, 1-3-celled, stigmas minute, 

 ovule parietal ; fr. small, globose, stigmas lateral or subbasal ; 

 seed suborbicular, raphe broad, endosperm deeply ruminate. — 

 Sp. 4; 3 in Fl. B. Iiid. 



O. fasciculatum, Thw. Enum. 328 (1864), Katu-Kitul, S. 



Caryota horrida, Moon, Cat. 64 (non Willd.). C. P. 2337. 

 Fl. B. Ind. vi. 415. 



Trunk 30-50 ft, 5-6 in. diam., copiously armed with long 

 flexible,black, compressed spines, base thickened, stoloniferous; 

 1. 8 ft long, leaflets 12-18 by i-if in., fascicled, lanceolate, 

 caudate-acuminate, tips drooping, scurfy beneath, rhachis 

 scurfy, petiole spinous towards the base, sheath 2\ ft, spinous, 

 scurfy; spathes unarmed, sparsely scurfy, inner 2-crested ; 



