83 



PLATE XXXI. 



Bactris , n. sp. 



Native name unknown. 



The stem of this curious palm is from twenty to twenty- 

 five feet high and very slender. It is marked with 

 slightly sunk rings and has a few scattered spines. 

 The leaves are rather small, few in number and terminal. 

 The leaflets are rigid, narrowed at the base, widest near 

 the end and suddenly tapering to a point. They are 

 arranged in groups of three or four at short intervals 

 along the midrib, from which they stand out at different 

 angles. The petioles and their sheathing bases are 

 thickly set with slender, flattish, black spines generally 

 pointing downwards. 



This species was only found once, growing in the 

 " gapo" or flooded lands of the Upper Rio Negro, and 

 at the time had neither flowers nor fruit. The form 

 and arrangement of the leaflets are so peculiar that it 

 cannot be confounded with any species yet described. 



A leaflet is represented of a larger size to show the 

 peculiar form. 



