34 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL “BOTANIC “GARDEN, CALCUTTA. - P. elmerit- 
HanrrAr.— The Island of Billiton in the Sunda Archipelago, recently discovered 
by Dr. Heine (No. 2425 bis fertile specimen and No. 3 sterile ‘specimen in Herb. 
Bogor. and Beccari). 
Osservations.—It diflers from P. Mueller, which it greatly resembles, in 
being a more robust plant, with larger leaves and with more numerous leaflets, 
narrowly lanceolate and‘ very long acuminate, more or less distinctly rusty- 
furfuraceous beneath, especially in the leaves of young plants, the leaflets of which 
have also an asymmetrical apex. The female spadix is very similar to that of 
P. Mueller, but the spathels are more distinctly rhomboidal, quite glabrous, and 
the flowers are smaller. with the calyx having the limb very suddenly expanded 
from a very narrow pedicelliform smooth base, and deeply divided into 3 ovate 
parts, even before the anthesis. In P. Mueller the calyx has at the time of 
flowering a cup-shaped 3-toothed not split limb, and the corolla slightly longer than 
the calyx. 
PrarE 21.—Plectocomia billitonensis Becc:—An entire female partial inflorescence 
with growing ovaries, and intermediate portion of a leaf; from Heine's No. 2425 bis. 
Detached leaflet from a young plant (Heine No. 3). 
Lari Driaenosis.—Plectocomia billitonensis Bece. sp. nov. Frondium segmentis 
inaequidistantibus anguste lanceolatis et longe acuminatis, junioribus subtus indumento 
tenuissimo rubiginoso indutis; spicarum spathellis rhombeis, glabris; floris foeminei 
calyce parte pedicellari gracili brevi statim in limbum tripartitum expansa, pradito, 
limbi segmentis ovatis  apiculatis ; corolle segmentis acuminatis calycem paullo 
superantibus. 
6. PrEcrocowiA ELmeRII Bece. sp. n. 
Description.—One of the largest species. Sheathed stem about JU em. m diameter. 
(Elmer) Leaves very large; rhachis near the base (the only part seen by me) about 
3 cm. broad, finely softly grey tomentose, flattish above, slightly convex below and 
clawed along the middle, the sides for the insertion of the leaflets flat, 6 mm. wide. 
Leaflets in groups, those of the portion just mentioned 55—62 em. long, 35—42 mm. 
wide, lanceolate-ensiform, very , gradually acuminate above to a rather rigid, very 
slightly asymmetrical point, the lower margin remaining 3—4 em. shorter than the 
upper; in the herbarium specimens the upper surface is green and the lower red- 
dish brown but quite destitute of any kind of indumentum: the margins are 
distinctly thickened and occasionally provided at very long intervals with a few very 
small spinules ; secondary nerves barely distinguishable from very numerous tertiary 
ones and giving on the whole a finely striate appearance to both surfaces. Male 
pikes ...... Female spikes have spathels very similar to those of P. Muellerii and 
R. billitonensis, but larger; one spike is 70 cm. long, inclusive of an arched basal 
part ; its main axis sinuous, subterete, 5 mm. thick, furfuraceous (not scabrid). its 
internodes 12 mm. long; spathels very concave, broadly rhomboidal, bluntish, 3:5—4 
em. long. and nearly as wide, broadest about their middle or a little above it, the 
upper half part widely triangular, frequently sharply defined by a projecting tooth 
on the margin on both sides, thinly coriaceous and very rigid, of a very dark 
chestnut brown colour, finely striate, quite glabrous. Spikelets formed by 5-6 flowers, 
