439 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. (Ç. Ahasianus. 
above.  Ocrea very short, consisting of a small axillary glabrous naked ligula and a 
narrow margin to the mouth of the sheath. Leaves very large, very similar to those of 
C. inermis as to the distribution of the leaflets and the general dimensions, terminating 
in a robust cirrus, which is armed with robust half-whorled or scattered claws; 
petiole of the leaves of the upper part of the fertile plant very short, very stout, 
even 8 cm. broad, flattish above, more or less prickly at the margins, rounded 
beneath, where naked or with a few strong claws; rachis in its first portion similar to 
the petiole, upwards very obsoletely angular above, roundish beneath, where strongly 
armed at first witn solitary and then ternate claws; leaflets papyraceous, rigid, 
green even when dry, slightly paler beneath than above, glabrous, usually in pairs 
or even 3—4 approximate on each side of the rachis with long (15-20 cm.) vacant 
Bpaces interposed (the groups of one side alternate with or subopposite to those of 
the other side) very narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate-eusiform, 40-50 cm. long, 
2°5-3°5 cm. broad, narrowed towards the base, slightly callous at their insertion, 
gradually acuminate into a bristly penicillate tip, 3- and sometimes sub-5-costulate; the 
costae slender, the mid-one, the strongest, usually naked like the other two or all 
very sparingly spinulous above, always naked beneath; transverse veinlets rather distinct, 
close together and continuous; margins finely and adpressedly spinulous, upper leaflets 
usually solitary, broader and shorter and more distinctly lanceolate or oblanceolate 
than the lower ones. Male spadiz . . . . Female spadix simply decompound, rather 
robust and diffuse, spreading and arched, 1:9-1:5 m. long, with many partial inflores- 
cences; primary spathes coriaceous, tubular, closely sheathing, short, 10-15 cm. long; 
the lowest considerably flattened, acutely two-edged and more or less prickly at the 
sides, truncate at the mouth; the upper ones more cylindraceous, slightly narrowed. 
towards the base or very narrowly infundibuliform, truncate at the mouth and. 
prolonged at one side into a triangular dorsally keeled point, more or less densely 
aculeolate in their upper part; partial inflorescences arched, very spreading or deflexed, 
terminating in a small tail-like, rigid, prickly appendix; some of the lower inflores- 
cences attached inside their respective spathes and not callous at the axilla, but the 
others exsert and callous at the axilla; the lower ones, the largest, up to 70-80 cm. 
long, with 8-9 spikelets on each side, the upper ones somewhat shorter; secondary 
spathes almost polished, tubular-infundibuliform, 3-6 cm. long, thinly coriaceous, 
truncate at the mouth, entire, prolonged at one side into a short triangular point 
with a few scattered prickles on the back; spikelets inserted at the mouth of their 
respective spathes, with a rather distinct axillary callus, arched, spreading, horizontal 
or even recurved; the larger ones, the lowest, even 20 em. long, with 15-16 flowers 
on each side, the uppermost about half as long, robust, tough, zig-zag-sinuous ; spathels 
symmetrically infundibuliform, somewhat attenuate at the base (not subventricose), 
horizontally truncate and entire at the mouth, distinctly apiculate at one side, 
almost polished, more or less scaly-furfuraceous; involucrophorum laterally attached 
at the base of the spathel above its own, without a distinct axillary callus next to 
the axis, shallowly cupular, flat, two-keeled, bidentate and with the margin slightly 
excavate on the side next the axis; involucre moulded on the involucrophorum, 
cupular, shallow, with nearly entire margin, areola of the neuter flower lunate. Fruiting 
pertanth distinctly pedicelliform; the calyx with callous cylindraceous or subventricose 
tube and short teeth; the segments of the corolla somewhat narrower than the teeth 
of the calyx and as long as these. Fruti (quite mature) globose, almost spheric, 
