P. kerrana. PLECTOCOMIA. 41 
Description.—Stems 18—25 m. long, as thick as a man’s arm. (Brandis). 
Leaves very large. Leatets broadly lanceolate. or lanceolate-elliptical, their 
broadest part being in the middle, and thence equally tapering to both ends, 
gradually but not very long-acuminate above, conspicuously  discolorous, t.e., 
green above and mealy whitish beneath; the © mid-costa stronger on the 
lower than on the upper surface, the nerve on each margin as strong as the 
mid-costa; secondary nerves numerous, very slender; the margins appressedly 
minutely spinulous from the middle upwards; intermediate leaflets 40—42 cm., 
and in young specimens in cirriferous leaves up to 60 em. long and 8 em. wide; 
the apex slightly falcate. Male spikes 45—60 cm. long, their main axis slender, 
lanuginose ; the internodes 15—20 mm. long. Spathels 5—6 em. in length, oblong, 
triangular in theim upper third part, and thence slightly tapering downward, the 
apex acute or bluntish, the margins ciliolate, the outer surface greyish tomentose 
in their lower two-thirds, glabrous above. Male spkelets 2—25 cm. long and 
having many flowers; their axis fugaciously lanuginose ; bracteoles very small 
subulate. Male flowers 10—12 mm. long, sessile, narrowly lanceolate-subulate ; the 
calyx quite glabrous, very small and shallow, trigonous, 3-toothed, 2 mm. across, 
the teeth very acuminate; petals cartilaginous, lanceolate, gradually aeuminate from 
the base, the points more or less wavy; stamens with thickish and subulate 
filaments ; anthers elongate-sagittate, acute, 3 mm. long; :udimentary ovary very 
small. Female spikes . . . . Fruit (description after Griffith) “surrounded at 
the base by the calyx and corolla, not flattened out, apex attenuated into the style, 
rostrate-apiculate, otherwise round, about one inch in diameter (25 mm. in Griffith's 
figure) dark brown; scales very numerous, rather small, either nearly smooth or 
with ciliate margins, and recurved, split, fimbriate points; when not much rubbed 
it has a woolly appearance.’ Seed globular, slightly depressed, 18 mm. broad, 15 
mm. high in Griffith's figure. 
Hasrrat.—Khasia. Hills: (Grifità ; Hook. f. & Thomson exsicc.); at Shaila 750 m. 
alt. (Brandis in Herb. Becc.—Leaves only.) 
OssERvATIONS.—I have a very incomplete knowledge of this species, Which T. 
Anderson (Journ. Linn. Soc. xi, 12) declares identical with P. assamica, from 
which, however, it seems to differ especially in the fruit distinetly beaked, not 
woolly, having the scales simply fimbriate and not crisped. The fresh spathels of 
P. khasyana are described by Hooker as white with broad acute or acuminate tips 
and with a broad brown interposed band; in P. assamica the spathels appear more 
densely tomentose. 
I have described the male spike and flowers from the plant that flowered at 
Kew and was figured in the Botanical Magazine. 
Prate 26.—Plectocomia khasyana Grif. —An entire’ partial male inflorescence 
from the plant that flowered at Kew. . (Reproduction of the sheet in the 
Herbarium at Kew.) 
4 kn 
11. PLEcrocomia KERRANA Bece. sp. n. © 
Descrrprron.—Apparently a. smaller plant than P. assamica and P. khasyana. 
Leaves 2:40 to 2°70 m. long (Kerr), inclusive of the terminal cirrus. The rhachis 
ANN. Roy. Bor. GARD., CALCUTTA, VOL. XII. 
