P. wrayi. PLECTOCOMIOPSIS, 55 
a few very narrowly linear rudimentary leaflets, and terminating in a slender clawed 
gradually shorter cirrus. . The male inflorescence forms a rather large compound 
terminal panicle, composed of several branches or partial inflorescences, each issuing 
from the axilla of a reduced leaf; a branch, apparently one of the lowest, is about 
50 em. long, those of the end of the panicle are gradually smaller; the branches 
have a rather robust arched main axis, and are sheathed by spathes bearing in: 
their axillas the spicigerous branchlets. The spathes of the main axis are 
greenish even when dry, tubular infundibuliform, closely sheathing, 15—20 mm. long 
in the exposed part, finely striate, puberulous, almost horizontally truncate at their 
mouths and produced at one side into a triangular acute or acuminate point. 
The. spikelet-bearing branchlets are inserted near the bottom of their respective 
spathes through a flattened pedicellar part, and are variable in length according to 
the position they occupy on the partial inflorescences; the largest branchlets are 
25 cem. long and bear distichally 18—20 spikelets on each side; others are much 
shorter, and have proportionally fewer flowers; spathes of tle  branchlets rusty- 
furfuraceous, especially in their basal part, finely striately veined, infundibuliform, 
their mouths rather wide, truncate, ciliate on the margin and produced at one side 
into a triangular acute or acuminate point. Male spikelets scorpioid, inserted a 
little inside the mouth of their respective spathes; the lowest and largest are 
10—12 mm. long, and have the flowers in two series, each composed of 7—8 
assurgent, closely packed flowers; upper spikelets gradually smaller, and with fewer 
flowers ; spathels ringent, bracteiform, acuminate from a broad concave base; involucre 
shallowly concave, bidentate on the side next to the axis, or as if it were 
formed by two braets connate by their bases; spathels and involucra strongly 
striately veined, iliate and slightly hairy seurfy. Male flowers terete, slightly 
clavate, obtusely apiculate, 5 mm. long, 1 mm. thick; the calyx urceolate-cam- 
panulate, of a thickish texture, glabrous, not striately veined, shortly and broadly 
3-toothed, the teeth either acute or bluntish ; the corolla twice as long as the 
calyx, solid in its lower part, divided in its. upper third into 3 semi-oval acute 
and thickish lobes; stamens biseriate; the filaments are placed at the upper third 
part of the corolla, have a thick almost bulbous base and a very suddenly inflexed . 
subulate apex; anthers broad and Short, subdidymous, the cells obtuse at both 
ends and introrse ; rudimentary ovary represented by 3 very small subulate papille. 
Female inflorescence apparently smaller than the male, and with shorter and less 
branched partial inflorescences; the one seen by me is about 20 em. long, and has 
5 flower-bearing branchlets; the main axis is sinuous, its spathes are tubular- 
infundibuliform, closely sheathing, flat at the base on the side-of the insertion of 
the branchlets; the branchlets are 8—13 cm. long, thickish (3 mm. at the base) 
zig-zag sinuous, have the spathels angular, shortly infundibuliform, suddenly expanded 
into a bracteiform, spreading, triangular, acute limb. Spikelets reduced to only one 
pair of flowers at each spathel, not accompanied by neuter ones; the pairs of flowers 
are alternate, distichous and 8—10 on each side of the branchlets; no 
involucrophorum is visible; involucre flat, triangular-trilobed, striately veined, the 
lobes acute. Female flowers about 1 em. long, narrowly ovoid-elliptical, conical 
in the upper part; calyx of a thick texture, cupular-campanulate, obsoletely veined, 
broadly 3-lobed, the lobes bluntish ; the corolla about twice as long as the calyx, 
thick and very hard, almost woody, finely striately veined and very minutely - 
