379 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. Scipionum. 
eylindaceous, with an obtuse longitudinal keel (as in the naked canes) descending 
downwards from the insertion of every spadix or flagellum; the lower sheaths 
apparently far more elongate than the upper ones, all more or less sparingly 
armed with robust solitary or occasionally geminate or ternate, horizontal or more 
or less deflexed spines, which are laminar, elongate triangular, subulate, 1:5-3 cm, 
long, with a broad and underneath concave base; the spines being erect in the 
preefoliation leave a distinct impression of their outline above them on the surface 
of the sheath. Ocrea short (1 ecm. long at most in nearly expanded leaves), 
glabrous, the margin scarious, brittle and ultimately deciduous.  Leaf-sheath flagella 
excessively long, up to 4-5 m., with a very conspicuous callus at their insertion, 
flattened and acutely two-edged in their basal part where usually armed at the 
edges with straight horizontal spines, terete from the middle upwards and strongly 
armed there with robust black-tipped and towards the summit half-whorled claws. 
Leaves not cirriferous, large, l:5-29:2 m. long; petiole very variable in length (from. 
10 to 50 em.) robust 1:5-2 em. broad, half-terete or flattish and smooth above, and 
rounded beneath, where usually smooth along the middle or sometimes sparingly 
clawed there; the margins armed with straight or slightly hooked spines; rachis 
in recently expanded leaves covered with a rusty cottony scurf, later glabrous, 
bifaced above in its upper part and with an acute smooth angle there, somewhat 
irregularly armed beneath, chiefly along the middle, with at first solitary and 
towards the summit often ternate claws; leaflets numerous, 20-30 on each side, 
alternate or subopposite, equidistant, rather remote, usually 7-10 cm. apart and in 
very stout leaves 4-5 cm. only, rigid papyraceous, subshining on both surfaces, 
very slightly paler beneath, elongate-lanceolate or lanceolate-ensiform almost equally 
narrowed to both ends, callous at their insertion, gradually acuminate at the summit 
into a bristly-penicillate apex, plicate (chiefly at the base) and 3-5-costulate, the 
costa nearer each margin (when 5) often evanescent from the middle upwards and 
usually naked, the 3 of the centre bristly in their upper part; the bristles 4-6 mm. 
long, brown and patent; beneath, all nerves fainter and only the mid-costa sometimes 
sparingly bristly; transverse veinlets rather sharp, rather remote and interrupted; 
margins acute naked; the lower margin in the upper surface usually bordered with 
a narrow polished shining band; the largest leaflets 50-60 cm. long and 5-5:5 em. 
broad, the upper ones much reduced in size, the two of the terminal pair unequal, 
free at the base, sometimes not more than 15-20 cm. long and 1-2 em. broad; a 
few at the base also smaller than the intermediate ones, Male spadiz ultra- 
decompound, very long, sometimes as much as 6 metres, pendulous, with 7-8 very 
remote partial inflorescences, terminating with a rather long prickly flagelliform 
appendix; primary spathes tubular, narrow, very long, very closely sheathing, thinly 
coriaceous, entire; the lowermost about 45 cm. long flattened acutely two-edged, the 
edges more or less armed with slender straight spines, the succeeding one less 
flattened, the upper ones cylindraceous, very slightly narrowed to the base, where 
flat or channelled on the inner side, more or less aculeate on the back, chiefly in 
their upper part, very obliquely truncate, entire and naked at the mouth and 
prolonged at the summit into a triangular acuminate dorsally keeled erect point; 
partial inflorescences inserted inside near the mouth of their respective spathes; the 
lower ones, the largest, slender, 50-60 cm. long with 9-10 secondary branches on 
each side, the upper ones shorter; secondary spathes pergamentaceous, elongate- 
& 
