214 PHILIPPINE PALMS 
Genus LIVISTONA Linnaeus 
All of our palms of this genus are tall, graceful species, with 
fan-shaped leaves; pendulous, axillary inflorescences; rather 
small, globose fruits, and decidedly hard wood. Several of the 
species <re cultivated for ornamental purposes. 
Conspectus of the species. 
a’, Leaves irregularly parted into primary 2- to 6-costulate segments; 
secondary segments 1-costulate, very deeply parted into two very long 
flaccid laciniae. Petiole armed, especially in its lower portion, with 
very robust spines. Flowers sessile and in small groups on the 
branchlets. Fruit globose or very slightly reniform, bluish even when 
dry, 11-to: 15enimane diameters rte ee ee 1. L. cochinchinensis. 
a’, Leaves entire in their central part, and with the periphery more or 
less deeply divided into always unicostulate segments. Flowers soli- 
tary, spirally inserted around the branchlets. 
b'. Flowers relatively large, 4 to 4.5 mm long. Leaves of adult plants 
having unarmed or, at times, slightly spinose petioles. The dry 
mature fruit spherical, 22 to 23 mm in diameter, with a very dark 
brown polished surface. The young fruits are slightly oblong and 
narrow a little toward) the base... ss. eee 2. LE. Merrillii. 
b*. Flowers very small, at most 2 mm in diameter. 
c’. Petioles of the adult plant spinose in their basal part, unarmed 
elsewhere. Spadix composed of three main inflorescences, free 
from their bases and all issuing from a common flattened spathe; 
upper spathes very tightly sheathing throughout, truncate at the 
mouth, and, as are all the other parts of the spadix, reddish-brown 
when dry. Fruit spherical even when young, dark-violaceous 
when fresh, quite black when dry.......................- 3. L. rotundifolia. 
Forma typica (not yet found growing in the Philippines) is 
‘especially characterized by the seed having the intrusion of the 
raphe penetrating only two-thirds of the albumen. 
d', Fruit 2 cm in diameter. Seed traversed completely from base to 
apex by the intrusion of the raphe. Leaves of very young 
plants having the petioles armed, in their basal part, with 
conspicuous spines, as much as 15 to 20 mm in length, the 
leaves of adult plants with the central segments shortly bifid. 
L. rotundifolia Mart. var. luzonensis. 
d*, Fruit 12 to 15 mm in diameter, the kernel alone 10 to 13 mm in 
diameter. Seed 8 to 10 mm in diameter, more or less traversed 
by the intrusion of the raphe. Central segments of the adult 
leaves shortly bifid at their apices. 
L. rotundifolia var. microcarpa. 
d’. Fruit of medium size. Central segments of the adult leaves 
parted into two 15 to 20 em long laciniae. 
L. rotundifolia var. mindorensis. 
c’. Petioles of leaves in the adult plant unarmed, at least in their 
upper part; in young plants armed with very small spines. 
The mature fruit yellowish orange when fresh, yellowish brown 
when dry. Spathes straw-colored, slashed at the mouth. 
4. L. Robinsoniana. 
