P. macrostachya. PLECTOCOMIA. 29 
PLate 17.—Plectocomia Griffithii Bece.—Branch of a male inflorescence, supposed 
to belong to that species; spathel with its male spikelet; detached male spikelet ; 
portion of a leaf from near its base: observe the spine near the base of the 
leaflets. From Ridley’s specimen gathered March 1903. 
3. PLECTOCOMIA MACROsTACHYA Kurz, Enum. Burm. Palms in Jour. Asiat. Soc. 
Bengal, xiii, pt. II (1874), 207, t. xvi, xvii: For. FI. Brit. Burma ii, 
514; Hook. fl. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 478; Brandis, Indian Trees, 650; 
Gamble, Man. Ind. Timb. 2nd ed. 737. 
Drscriprion.—A large and lofty climber (Kurz). Leaves with alternate groups of 
2—3 leaflets on each side of the rhachis; the rhachis in a portion above the middle 
is very obsoletely angular and minutely scabrid when seen under a lens. The 
intermediate leaflets of the adult plant are lanceolate or narrowly elliptical-lanceo- 
late, equally tapering to both ends, the broadest part being about their middle, and 
gradually acuminate above; are 60 cm. long, 6—6'5 cm. wide, conspicuously dis- 
colorous or white beneath, have a robust mid-costa and ‘an equally strong primary 
nerve running along the margins; secondary nerves very fine, 8—9 on each side of 
the mid-costa, regularly spaced ; transverse veinlets obsolete; the male spikes are 
described by Kurz, 4—5 ft. long (1°2—1°5 m.); in the portions seen by me they 
are somewhat flattened and about 6 cm. thick; the spathes are closely imbricate 
and on a portion of spike 20 cm. in length, I counted 7 spathels on each side; the 
‘ Spathels are very rigid, coriaceous, of a dull chestnut brown colour, darker or 
blackish near the edges, very finely striately-vemed, glabrous in their basal part, 
slightly scaly-furfuraceous above, concave, rhomboidal-obovate, the largest 7 cm. 
long, 5cm. wide, often with an angle or tooth about the middle of the sides separat- 
ing the upper triangular acute point from the lower basal part. The main axis of 
the spikes is 4—5 mm. in diameter, slightly scabrid-furfuraceous, at times almost 
smooth. Spikelets 4—5 cm. long, their axis. scabrid-furfuraceous, slender, carrying 
usually 6 pairs of flowers on each side, the lowermost of which are supported by 
pedicels 2—4 mm. long; the bracteoles are very small. Male flowers 12—15 mm. 
long, 4—5 mm. broad, sinuous-lanceolate, very acuminate, trigoncus; the calyx broadly 
campanulate-3 mm. high, shortly 3-toothed, the margin villose, the teeth subulate ; 
the corolla 5 times as long as the calyx, its segments cartilaginous-coriaceous, 
lanceolate, undulate, acuminate ; stamens with filaments connate by their thickened 
bases, suddenly subulate; anthers linear, 4 mm. long; rudimentary ovary very minute, 
represented by 3 linear papille. Female spadix and fruit not seen by me. 
Hasirat.—Lower Burma on the Bithoko Range, between the Yunzalin and the 
Salween at the Great Rapids, at 1,000 m. (Brandis No. 539 in Herb. Cale.) Pro- 
bably not uncommon elsewhere in Lower Burma { Brandis). ! 
OssERvATIONS.— Very imperfectly known. No doubt allied to P. elongata Bl. and 
P. Grifithii Becc., but with larger male spikes and flowers; the male spikes of 
P. macrostachya being even larger and having larger and more coriaceous spathels 
than. the female spikes of P. elongata; further the male flowers are more dis- 
tinctly pedicellate in P. macrostachya than in P. elongata. 
