199 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA, [ 0. erectus» 
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obtuse and bristly hispid at the apex; the two of the terminal pair, the smallest, con- 
fluent at the base and sometimes [probably ia leaves of young plants) larger than 
usual and distinctly 2— 3-costate. Male spad‘z nearly erect, attached laterally near the 
summit of the leaf-sheath, about 1 m. in length or sometimes longer, supradecompound 
near the base, simply decompound upwards, relatively compact, more or less scurfy- 
furfuraceous, bearing many partial inflorescences, not flagelliferous, but often produced 
into a caudate appendix formed by closely sheathing reduced aculéate and lacerate 
spathes ; the attenuated axial portion of the spadix, between two partial inflorescences, 
short (8-12 cm. long), more or less armed on the outer side of the lower unsheathed 
portion with short, sometimes aggregate, straight deflexed and occasionally claw-shaped 
primary spines; spathes scurfy-furfuraceous; the lowest at first tubular, somewhat com- 
pressed, and rather elongated, speedily longitudinally split, much lacerated and fibrous, 
more or less armed with solitary or clustered, short, straight, slender, needle-like and 
deflexed spines, or nearly unarmed; upper primary spathes tubular, very loosely sheath- 
ing, exsuccous, rather thinly membranous, mostly quite unarmed or sparingly aculeate, 
with the limb always much lacerated and fibrous; partial inflorescences nodding 
or spreading, the largest, the lowest, 20-30 cm. long, twice branched, the succeed- 
ing gradually smaller, simply branched, with 5-10 simple spikelets on each 
side, the uppermost with 3-4 spikelets only; secondary  spathes — brown-furfura- 
ceous, short, broadly  infundibuliform, membranous, usually longitudinally split, 
obliquely truncate at the mouth and produced on one side into a lacerated tip; 
spikelets very large, 10-20 cm. long, spreading, more or less arched or flexuose, 
inserted inside nearly to the base of their own spathe, flattened, with 15-20 
flowers on each side; terminal spikelet of. each partial inflorescence usually 
longer than the others, with even 30-33 flowers on each side, larger than usual; 
spathels minutely furfuraceous, short, asymmetrically infundibuliform, truncate with 
subscarious margin and lacerated marcescent tip; involucre cupular, almost inc'uded in 
its own spathelat the base of the one above, irregularly split or broadly toothed on 
the margin. Male flowers very regularly bifarious in one plane, rather distant (2-4 mm, 
apart) and relatively large (8-10 mm. long, 3 mm, thick) inserted at an angle of 
45°, almost entirely exserted from the spathels, narrowly oblong, acute, obscurely 
trigonous, straight or slightly curved or somewhat asymmetric, thinly and  fuga- 
ciously scaly-furfuraceous; calyx nearly entirely exserted from the involucre, cam- 
panulate, divided down to the middle into 3 broad, ovate, apiculate, striately veined 
lobes, narrowly scarious at the margin; corolla (in full grown buds) a little more 
than twice or two and a half times as long as the calyx, divided down almost to the 
base into 3 lanceolate-oblong, acute, finely striate segments; stamens with flattened 
subulate filaments not inflected at the apex, connate at the base with the short un- 
divided portion of the corolla; anthers versatile, large, broadly linear, not sagittate, 
somewhat curved, attenuate at both ends, their cells united almost to the base; 
rudimentary ovary slender, elongate, trigonous, with 3  subulate, abortive stigmas, 
Female spadic 1-1°5 m. long, erect or nodding, simply decompound, termin- 
ating in a depauperate spikelets or in a more or .less evolute, filiform, feebly 
clawed or nearly unarmed appendix; axial attenuate unsheathed portion of the 
spadix, between two partial inflorescences, short, flat, or nearly concave on the 
inner side, more or less armed on the back with scattered or aggregated 
hooked aculei; partial inflorescences not very remote, 4-10 up to 15 em. apart, 
