472 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. (C. siphonospathus 
the larger ones 25-35 cm. long, 10-15 mm. broad, the upper ones shorter ; 
3 or sub  £-costulate, the mid-costa acute and the side costulae slender, 
usually all or sometimes 3 only furnished on the upper surface with fulvous. 
more or less rigid or subspinescent bristles; beneath the  mid-costa alone bristly 
spinous; transverse veinlets rather prominent, not very approximate; short or 
much interrupted; margins rather closely spinulous-serrate. Male spadiz suprade- 
compound, elongate (60-85 cm. long), very strict, noncirriferous at its sum- 
mit but gradual ^ narrowing into a subulate  taillike sheathed unarmed 
appendix; its axis almost totally sheathed by the gradually dimin- 
ishing spathes, with 6-7 also gradually diminishing partial inflorescences ; 
primary spathes pergamentaceous or very thinly coriaceous, ultimately glabrous, 
finely longitudinally striate, broadly tubular and very loosely sheathing, or 
subinflate in their upper part, the summit of one almost reaching the base of 
that immediately above, rather suddenly and shortly narrowing towards the base, 
slightly keeled on the back, where more or less finely prickly or even smooth, 
prolonged at the summit into a broadly triangular acute joint ; partial inflorescences 
shortly and rather densely panicled, attached far inside their respective spathes 
with a rather long peduncular part, the lower ones about 12 cm. long with 
4-5 branchlets on each side (the lower ones of these branched again) and with 
a few simple gradually shorter spikelets at its summit; the succeeding 
inflorescences gradually smaller; the branchlets inserted above the mouth 
of their own spathe ; secondary spathes infundibuliform, loose, unarmed, 
thin in texture, more or less obliquely truncate at the mouth, prolonged at one 
side into a triangular acute or acuminate point; spikelets very slender, their axis 
filiform, the lower ones, the largest, 10-15 mm, long, inserted far above the 
mouth of their own spathe with 5-6 flatly bifarious, rather loose flowers on each 
side ; spathels narrowly tubular at the base, suddenly expanded into a bracteiform 
scarious ciliate, and at one side acute limb; involucre sessile, laterally attached out- 
side its own spathel at the base of the one above, apparently formed by two very 
small scarious and basally connate bracteoles. Male flowers totally  exsert from 
their involucres, oblong, often somewhat asymmetric and  obsoletely angular, about 
4 mm. long; the calyx shortly campanulate deeply striately veined, divided about. 
midway down into 3 broad triangular acute lobes; corolla (when fully developed) 
almost 8 times as long as the calyx, parted down almost to the base into 3 
lanceolate, narrowly oblong, acute, finely striate segments. Female spadiz similar 
to the male, also ultra-decompound 0:50-1:00 m. long, with 6-8 approximate, 
gradually diminishing partial inflorescences and terminating in a sheathed smooth 
or aculeolate tail-like appendix; lowest primary spathe with a flattened smooth base 
and not bearing an inflorescence; upper primary spathes like those of the male 
spadix, but often more inflate and subauriculiform and shortly cleft on the ventral 
side, the summit of one covering the base of that immediately above, terminating 
in a broadly triangular acute or rather obtuse point, sometimes rather densely 
armed on the back with very short prickles or almost smooth, or the lower spathes 
priekly and the upper ones smooth or even all smooth; partial inflorescences. 
panicled, broadly ovate, dense; the lower ones, the largest, 10-15 cm, long, inserted. 
by means of an elongate pedicelliform part almost to the bottom of their respective 
