258 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. ralumensis. 
infundibuliform, membranous, loosely sheathing, unarmed, or sprinkled with. very 
small tuberculiform prickles, exsuccous in their upper part, obliquely truncate at the 
mouth and prelonged at one side into a broad triangular acute point; tertiary spathes 
like the secondary ones but usually not decayed near the mouth; spikelets flexuous, 
brittle (when dry) slender, the largest 5-6 cm. long, with 20-22 flowers on each 
side; spathels broadly asymmetrically infundibuliform, truncate at the mouth, acute 
at one side, very finely striately veined; involucre dimidiately cupular or like a 
swallow's nest, obliquely truncate, acutely bidentate, two-keeled and with the margin 
deeply excavate on the side next to the axis. Male flowers ovate (when young), 
their calyx finely and sharply striately veined. Female spadiz very elongate, 
flagelliform, terminating in a rather long filiform flagellum; this rather 
densely armed with scattered or more or less aggregate claws; primary spathes 
tubular, elongate, closely sheathing, greenish (when dry), longitudinally striately 
veined, lacerate-fibrous at the mouth; the lowest slightly flattened, unarmed: 
the intermediate ones cylindraceous, more or less aculeolate on the back of their upper 
part: the upper ones more densely aculeolate, often split on the ventral side; partial 
inflorescences few and rather remote, arising erect from inside their spathe and 
terminating in a very small (about 1 cm. long) caudiculum ; the lowest, the largest, 
30-40 cm. long, with 8-9 spikelets on each side; secondary spathes tubular-infundi- 
buliform, closely sheathing, entire and truncate at the mouth, prolonged at one side 
into a broad triangular point, more or less armed on the back with very small scattered 
subtubereuliform prickles; spikelets elongate, vermicular, inserted above the mouth of 
their own spathe with a distinct axillary callus and a transversal rima, very patent, 
horizontal or arched-subdeflexed : the largest, the lowest, up to 15 cm. long, with about 
20 flowers on each side; those near the summit one-half or two-thirds shorter ; spathels 
subcy lind infundibuliform, truneate horizontally at the mouth, apiculate at one 
side, finely striately veined; involucrophorum attached to the base of the spathel above 
its own, irregularly cupular, more or less acutely bidentate on the side next to the axis; 
involucre more regularly cupular than the involucrophorum and enclosed in this, with 
unequal margin; areola of the neuter flower distinctly lunate. Female Jlowers conic, 
3-3'0 mm. long; the calyx callous at the base, strongly veined, with 3 short acute 
connivent teeth; the corolla as long as the calyx, with ovate-lanceolate concave acute 
segments. Fruiting perianth very shortly pedicelliform. Fruit sphaeric (when ripe), about 
1 cm. in diam. (ovoid when immature), minutely apiculate; scales in 15 series, 
strongly convex and faintly channelled along the middle, of one colour, lighi-yellow 
with very narrow scarious margin and rather obtuse tip. Seed globular, 5-6 mm, in 
diam., coarsely tubercled and irregularly grooved; chalazal fovea in the centre of the 
raphal side, shallow and indistinct; albumen equable; embryo basal. 
Hasrrat.—German New-Guinea, where it seems common. I have seen specimens 
from Kaiser Wilhelmsland, Gogol River, Lauterbach No. 905, ? plant, and No. 866 3 
plant in Herb, Berol.; Bismarck-Ebene, in the forest at 150 m. above the sea, poorer 
No. 2814 in Herb. Berol; Ramu River, Tappenbeck No. 65 in Herb, Berol.: Bisrnerck 
Archipelago, Lauterbach No. 242, Warburg, Dahl, in Herb. Berol eines 
,., ,OpseRvations.—C. ralumensis is closely related to C. 
it differs in the different armature of the leaf:sheaths 
vestitus Becc., from which 
and in the ocrea, which is 
