PIGAFETTA 99 
PIGAFETTA Becc. 
Becc. Malesia i, 89 (Pigafettia); Benth. and Hook. Gen. PI. iii, 933—Metroxylon 
sect. Pigafetta Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm iii, 343. 
A dioecious polycarpie large,tree, with a very tall stem and an extensive 
crown of very large leaves ; the old leaves deciduous, leaving the trunk smooth 
after their fall. Leaves having a broad basal and embracing spinous part, a stout 
petiole (also spinous), and numerous subtrieostulate straight, ensiform, acuminate, 
bifarious leaflets. Male and female spadices nearly similar, axillary, elongate, 
furnished with numerous but all incomplete spathes, and divided into several 
elongate tail-like branches, which are clothed with tubular, closely sheathing, 
approximate spathes and carry numerous slender spikelets. The spikes, both male 
and female, are amentiform and inserted at the bottom of their respective spathes 
by means of a very narrow elongate pedicellar part. Male spikes have very 
closely packed, geminate flowers, each pair of which is suffulted by a very small 
membranous bract, and is accompanied by tufts of hairs, representing the special 
flower bracteoles. Male flowers small and clavate ; the calyx campanulate, entire at 
first, then split into 3 parts ; the corolla has a narrow solid base and is divided into 
‘3 valvate segments ; stamens 6, inserted at the throat of the corolla. the filaments 
short, the anthers basifixed ; no rudiment of an ovary. Female spikes covered all 
round with flowers, solitary at the axillas of the bracts and immersed in tufts of 
hairs. Female flowers globose; the calyx cupular-urceolate, at first entire, later more 
or less split ; the corolla parted nearly to the base into 3 broad segments ; the stamens 
form with the united bases of their filaments a shallow cup, crowned by 6 teeth, 
bearing large sterile anthers; ovary uniloeular from the incompletely evolute dissepi- 
ments, globose, covered with a ‘few large scales ; style very short; stigmas trigonous, 
fleshy, spreading ; ovules 3, basilar. Frut very small, monospermous, loricate with 
few relatively large scales. Seed covered by a. fleshy integument; albumen 
homogenous ; embryo opposite to a deep chalazal fovea. 
The genus Pigafetta which Martius regarded as only a section of Metroxylon, is 
in reality a quite distinct genus, as i$ proved by its polycarpic nature, the plant 
producing a large number of axillary spadices, and having quite different male and 
female flowers and fruit. 
In fact Pigafetta is not closely allied to any other known genus of Lepidocaryeae 
and is especially characterized by its arborous nature; by its dioecious axillary 
spadices ; by its ‘small male and female flowers, crowded on slender amentiform 
spikes and quite different in the two sexes (the male flowers being geminate, and 
the female solitary at each spathel); and by its small calamoid fruit. 
Description oF Prate VI.—B. 
Fies. 1-8.—Pigafetta filaris Bece.—Fig. 1. Male flower during the anthesis.— 
Fig 2, vertical section of the expanded corolla.—Fig. 3-4. Full grown male-flower- 
buds.—Fig. 5. Female flower.—Fig. 6. Female flower, the corolla alone.—Fig. 7. 
Female flower, the nectarium and the ovary alone.—Fig. 8. Vertical section of the 
ovary. All figures enlarged about 10 diameters. 
ANN. Roy. Bor. GARD., CALCUTTA, VOL. XII. 
