156 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. — [Q, Heudelotii 
of 2-3, occasionally 4, on each side, the fascicles of one side opposite or alternate 
with those of the other side and with short or long vacant spaces among them; 
in some the rather long portions are sometimes nearly equidistant ; they are all 
linear, lanceolate or  lanceolate-ensiform, narrowed at the base and subulately 
acuminate into a hairy ciliolate tip, papyraceous, rather rigid, subshining, of about 
the same colour on both surfaces, but a little paler beneath, where they are 
glabrous, not scaly or dotted and with all the nerves faint and naked or with a 
few very small spinules along the mid-costa; the upper surface indistinctly 
9-eostulate, or 1-costate with 1-2 slender nerves on each side of the mid-costa, 
which is rather acute and spinulous above; the side-nerves naked or sometimes 
very sparingly spinulous ; the transverse veinlets much interrupted and rather distant ; 
the margins slightly thickened by a fine nerve and finely spinulous-serrate ; the 
largest leaflets, those a little above the base, 25-28 cm. long by 12-16 mm. in breadth; 
the two extreme ones much smaller and quite free at the base. Male spadiz not 
seen. Female spadiz (not seen entire)—its axial unsheathed part very slender— 
strongly armed with very sharp, solitary or aggregate  black-tipped claws 
which rest on a swollen light base; primary spathes tubular, elongate, closely 
sheathing, the lowest flattened aculeolate at the sides ; partial inflorescences short 
(15-17 cm. long), rising erect and then arched downwards, not callous at 
the axilla, with 5-7 spikelets on each side, secondary  spathes elongate-infundibu- 
liform, smooth, obliquely truncate at the mouth and produced on one side into a 
triangular, acute, patent point; spikelets inserted just at the mouth of their own 
spathe, slightly callous at their axilla, arched and strongly recurved, short, sub- 
cylindraceous, 2-4 cm. long, bearing 3-7 flowers on each side; spathels infundibuli- 
form, narrowed at the base, smooth, truncate at the mouth; involucrophorum cupular, 
very obiiquely truncate, narrowing to the base and attached at the bottom of its 
own spathe where it is almost entirely enclosed, very acutely 2-keeled on the side 
next to the axis; involucre obliquely cupular, entire, rather deep; areola of the 
neuter flower concave, ovate, sharply defined. Fruiting perianth not pedicelliform, 
but explanate under the fruit. Female flowers about 4 mm, long; the calyx striately 
veined, 3-toothed, ultimately entirely split; the corolla one-third longer than the 
calyx, divided down into three narrowly ovate, nearly obtuse segments, smooth 
outside ; the stamens with filaments connate by their bases, elongate-triangular in the 
free part, anthers linear. Fruit ovoid, roundish at the base and gradually narrowing 
upwards into a conical beak, about 15 mm. long, 9 mm. thick; scales in 15-16 
series, channelled along the middle, shiny, yellowish-brown with a darker rusty- 
reddish intramarginal liue, rather acute tip and erosely-toothed  scarious margins. | 
Seed elongately-ovoid, about 9 mm, long, with an almost smooth surface and a not 
very deep chalazal fovea in the centre of the raphal face; albumen equable; embryo 
basal. : 
. Hasrrat.—Senegambia: abundant on the Islands Cayaye and Souloubolon of 
the River Gambia (Heudelot No. 372 in Herb. Webb, Kew and Delessert); River 
Gambia (Ingram in Herb. Kew.). 
O y A ce rdi g to a note (the copy of Heudelot’s original one ?) 
accompanying 2 specimen in Webb’s Herbarium at Florence, this is a plant not 
surpassing 2-3 m, in height. This specimen consists of the upper part of a leaf 
