300 ANNALS OF THR ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. Guruba. 
of the sheath occurs a solitary long straight spine); the margins of the petiole are 
acute, more or less irregularly armed with short or rather long straight horizontal 
or ascendent spines, which sometimes extend also to the sides of the rachis, or even 
almost smooth; on the under-surface the petiole is rounded and usually armed, at 
least along the middle, with solitary, straight, broad-based, usually rather long (even 
2 cm.) and more or less deflexed spines, which not infrequently are changed into 
claws, especially when passing into the rachis where they gradually become smaller, 
and extend to its very summit; the spines are usually solitary, and with a relatively 
long brownish and often very suddenly deflexed point; above, the rachis is acutely 
bifaced and smooth; leaflets numerous (about 35 on each side}, rather closely set, 
equidistant, alternate or subopposite, thinly papyraceous, opaque or subshining and 
concolorous on both surfaces, narrowly ensiform, somewhat attenuate at the base, 
where suddenly plicate, gradually acuminate into a subulate and filamentous tip, more 
or less distinctly tricostulate. or with the mid-costa (acute and bristly-spinulous near 
the summit) accompanied on each side by a secondary nerve which is more distinct 
than the others, and furnished with rather numerous long or short bristles ; in the 
lower surface the mid-costa not very prominent, spinulous, and the side-nerves usually 
smooth or exceptionally very scantily bristly-spinulous; margins very minutely and 
appressedly spinulous, transverse veinlets sinuous and often inconspicuous; the largest 
leaflets in vigorous specimens 30-35 em. long and 18-20 mm./in width, in smaller 
plants only 18-20 cm. in length and 15-17 mm, in width, the upper ones pro- 
portionately shorter; the two terminal often unequal or united into an entire one, 
which terminates the leaf. Male spadiz ultradecompound, flegelliform, up to 2-3 m. 
in length, including a long slender irregularly clawed apical flagellum, with many 
(7-8 or even more) remote partial inflorescences ; the lowest primary spathe very 
long (in one specimen 50 cm.), flat, sheathing and acutely two-edged at the base, 
split longitudinally and more or less open, end dorsally two-keeled and aculeolate 
upwards, armed on the edges chiefly near the base. with straight, short or long 
(10-15 mm. at most), horizontal or ascendent spines, which become smaller and 
more distant in its upper part; upper primary spathes very long (30-50 cm.) 
at first very narrowly tubular and sheathing the inflorescences, but very soon 
bursting longitudinally on one side and with the exception of the lowest sheathing 
portion expanded into a persistent elongate flat limb, which is thinly coriaceous 
and exsuccous in texture, very broadly linear (1-J°5 cm. in width) obtuse, apiculate 
and obsoletely toothed at the apex. of a cinramon-brown colour, almost polished 
inside, finely striately veined longitudinally, usually unarmed outside in their upper 
part, but not infrequently more or less clawed externally in their basal portion; 
the claws more numerous and more robust in the slender axial portion between two 
partial inflorescences; partial inflorescences sub-erect, rather dense, broadly paniculate, 
considerably shorter than their own spathes, distinctly callous at their insertion, 
12-25 cm. long, their axis straight, rigid, slender, obsoletely angular, with 8-10 
gradually shorter branchlets on each side; secondary spathes short, very narrow- 
tubular and sheathing in their lower portion, split longitudinally above at one side 
and expanded into an auriculiform, exsuccous, membranous, striately veined, acute or 
acuminate and often split limb, which subtends or embraces the base of the branchlets; 
secondary branchlets (or compound spikes) regularly distichous, and also gradually 
decreasing in size, rigid, inserted at an angle of 45° (during the anthesis), strongly 
