OF THE AMAZON. 107 



PLATE XLI. 



ASTROCARYUM TUCUMA, McirtklS. 



Tucuma, Lingoa Geral. 



This palm is from thirty to forty feet in height, and 

 has the stem armed with narrow rings of black spines. 

 The leaves are terminal, rather large and regularly pin- 

 nate. The leaflets are elongate, linear and much 

 drooping, and the midribs and petioles are very prickly. 

 The sheathing bases of the leaf- stalks are very much 

 swollen where they spring from the stem. The spadix 

 grows erect from among the leaves and is simply 

 branched. The fruit is nearly globular, of a greenish 

 yellow colour, with a layer of yellow fleshy pulp covering 

 the stony seed, much resembling the fruit of the Mu- 

 cuja and equally esteemed for food by the Indians. 



This species is very nearly allied to the last, but may 

 readily be distinguished by its globular fruit, more 

 drooping leaflets, less prickly habit, and the peculiar 

 aspect of its swollen petioles. It is abundant near 

 Para, and is also found in the dry virgin forests of the 

 Upper Amazon and Rio Negro. 



There are young living plants in the Palm House of 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. 



Plate II. fig. 5. represents a fruit of the natural size. 



