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434 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. nambariensis+ 
strongly gibbous above, obliquely truncate at the mouth, armed all round with large, 
laminar, broad, triangular-lanceolate, solitary 2-3 cm. long, more or less confluent, 
transversely ^ subseriate, horizontal or slightly deflexed spines, which are about the 
same colour as the surface of the sheath or with the point slightly darker and have 
a very broad and concavo-convex base; the spaces between these large spines are 
covered with much smaller ones, and these are triangular, ascendant, 1-5 mm. long. 
Ocrea very small, consisting of a short axillary, naked ligula and a narrow rim at 
the mouth of the sheath, Leaves very large, about 3 metres in length in the pinniferous 
part, terminating in a rather robust cirrus, which is another metre in length and is 
armed with half or three-fourths-whorls of light-based and black-tipped claws; petiole 
very short (in leaves of the upper part of the adult plant) rounded beneath where 
unarmed or nearly so, and flat above where more or less prickly on the surface as 
at the side; rachis biconvex shortly, beyond its base, sparsely spinulous there above 
and naked beneath along the middle, armed with a few strong claws at the sides espe- 
cially under the insertion of the leaflets; in its upper part obsoletely angular and smooth 
above and armed beneath along the middle at first with solitary, then 3-nate and finally 
half-whorled claws; leaflets rather numerous (about 30 on each side), very spreading or 
subhorizontal with a rather distinct axillary callus at their insertion, remotely subequi- 
distant from the base up to the summit, the intervals between the leaflets varying 
from 12-15 cm. in the upper third part of the leaf and from 6-10 cm, in the 
remainder, papyraceous, glabrous, green, very slightly paler beneath than above where 
subshining, very narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate-ensiform, very gradually acuminate 
into a slightly bristly tip, 3- or sometimes sub-5-costulate; the coste? naked on both 
surfaces, slender; the mid-one slightly stronger than the others; transverse veinlets 
rather prominent and crowded; the margins very indistinctly and very adpressedly 
spinulous ; the lower one bordered with a shining band in the upper surface; the 
largest leaflets, those a little above the base, up to 50 cm. long and 4 em. broad, 
the lowest and the uppermost shorter and 2:5-3 cm. broad. Male spadiz simply 
decompound or partially supradecompound, viz. with the lower inflorescences branched 
again, 1-1'2 m. in length, rather lax, arched, spreading, with 5-7 partial inflorescences 
on each side; primary spathes thinly coriaceous, the first very short, 5-6 cm. long, 
flattened, more or less prickly, acutely two-edged, truncate at the mouth, terminating 
in a triangular dorsally acutely keeled point; the upper primary spathes tubular, 
closely sheathing, slightly enlarged in their upper part or narrowly tubular-infundibuli- 
form, finely longitudinally striate, otherwise almost polished, armed especialiy in their 
"upper part with short scattered horizontal or slightly deflexed prickles, more or lesg 
obliquely truncate and entire at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular 
dorsally keeled point ; partial inflorescences attached inside the mouth of their respective 
spathe or in every case arising erect from these without an axillary callus, then arched 
and spreading ; lower partial inflorescences 30-45 cm. in length, with 8-10 spikelets 
on each side, of which those nearer to the base sometimes branched; upper inflores- 
cences shorter; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform, unarmed or with a strag- 
gling spinule, finely striately veined, entire and more or less obliquely truncate at the 
mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular acute or acuminate point; spikelets 
attached at the mouth of their respective spathe with a rather distinct axillary callus, 
more or less arched, spreading or even deflexed; the lower ones, the largest, 3-4 
em. long with 14-18 very closely set flowers on each side, those of the summit 
