P. paradoxus. PLECTOCOMIOPSIS. 59 
cirrus half or three quarter whorled, almost regularly, at the distances of 3—4 em. 
without other spines interposed. Leaflets not numerous, about twenty in one specimen ; 
the lowest and uppermost much reduced in size or rudimentary ; very unequidistant, 
usually in pairs on each side of the rhachis; the pairs of one side irregularly 
alternating with those of the other side, and seta long vacant spaces interposed ; 
they are narrowly lanceolate, tapering below to an acute base, gradually acuminate 
above to a fine, often elongated tip, thinly papyraceous, almost equally green on 
both surface, but marked underneath with very minute pale dots (microlepidia) ; 
have the mid-costa slender, almost equally prominent on both surfaces, and accompanied 
by 4—5 fine secondary nerves on each side ; tertiary nerves numerous; along 
both margins runs a nerve about as strong as "th mid-costa ; transverse veinlets 
visible only by transmitted light; all nerves are devoid of bed or spinules ; 
margins appressedly spinulous ; of the intermediate leaflets, the largest are 30—40 em. 
long, and about 3 cm. wide. Male spadix large and ultradecompound ; the 
branches seen by me form rather loose panicles 20—40 cm. long, are completely 
unarmed in every part. and carry distichally and alternately, on each side, 5—8 
gradually decreasing  spikelet-bearing branchlets, each of which issues erect 
from the mouth of its respective spathe, but soon becomes arched and spreading; 
the secondary spathes Ze. the spathes of the branches are infundibuliform, 
loosely sheathing,  striately veined, entirely glabrous, truncate and ciliate at their 
mouths and produced at one side into a triangular acuminate point. The 
spikelet-bearmg branchlets gradually decrease upwards, the lowest and largest 
12—20 cm. long, and carrying distichally 7—9 spikelets on each side; the 
spikelets in the dry specimens are uniformly brown, glabrous in every part, 
scorpioid, some of them at times subdivided, all very short, the lowest the largest, 
10—12 mm. long, and shortening towards the end of the branchlets; they have 
two series of closely packed assurgent flowers, each series composed of 5—6 
flowers, fewer in the uppermost spikelets. | Spathels bracteiform, membranous 
concave, acute at one side, all but completely embracing the floral involucre; the 
latter is rather deep, obliquely truncate, flat on the axial side, and sharply 2-keeled 
at one side, each keel ending in an acute tooth. Male flowers ovoid-subtrigonous, 
narrowing toward the base, acute, 4—5 mm. long; the calyx deeply parted into 
3 ovate, rather acute lobes (the lobes remaining on the axial side acutely keeled), 
` striately-veined, the margins hyaline; the corolla twice as long as the calyx, divided 
in its lower third into 3 segments, thinly cartilaginous, striately-veined, apiculate 
and with thick margins. Stamens 6; the filaments united together in their lowest 
part, broadly linear or nearly oblong, thick and fleshy in the free part, which is 
about as long as the segments of the corolla, nearly capitellate a little below the 
apex, and from that point very suddenly introflexed, subulate and very slender. 
Anthers erect in the prafloration, inserted about their middle, linear-sagittate, rather 
acute, narrower than the broadened part of the filaments, and almost encased in 
these, the anther cells deeply divided at the base. Rudimentary ovary very minute. 
Female spadix and fruit unknown. 
HanirrAT.—Pegu. The male plant only was collected by Kurz in the forest of 
Palawa Zeik (Toukyeghat) in Martaban to the east of Tounghoo, flowering in April 
(Kurz No. 1475. in the Herbaria of Kew, Petrograd and Calcutta). Native name 
" Yamatha Khyeing." 
ANN. Roy. Bor. GARD., CALCUTTA, VOL. XII 
