P. filaris. PIGAFETTA. 101 
portion, but  unclosing and spreading open above into a triangular acute limb 
fugaciously clothed» with a fulvous scurf; the axial part of the branchlets is 
terete, about 1 cm. in diameter at the base, gradually diminishing above; its 
spathes are papyraceous, glabrous, smooth, finely striately-veined, tubular, closely 
sheathing, obliquely and lunately excavate at thé mouth, and there prolonged at 
one side into a triangular-ciliolate point; the lowest is 35-4 cm. long; the 
others gradually smaller. Male and female spikes attached by a very slender, 
strongly flattened pedicellar part to the bottom of their respective spathes and 
more or less produced beyond these. Male spikes slender, flexuose, the lowest borne 
on a pedicellar part 6-7 cm. long (shorter in those which follow), not broader 
than 1°5 mm., flattened-laminar, strongly-striate ; the flower bearing portion of 
the spikes is 8-9 mm. in diameter (when covered with fully developed flowers), 
10-12 cm. long, in the spikes of the lower part of the branches, but only 7-8 in 
those of the apex. The axis of the spikes is slender, and after the fall of 
the flowers acquires a villose appearance from the persistent spathels, which are 
represented by small membranous striately-veined bracteoles having a broad base, 
which suddenly attenuate to a subulate, spreading point, and are accompanied at 
each ‘side by  brush-like tufts. of hairs, which replace the special bracteoles of 
the flowers. The male flowers are very closely packed, in pairs at each spathel, 
and completely cover the axis of the spikes, on which their insertion is marked 
by two very small, elongate, contiguous scars. The flower-buds not regularly 
ovoid, are obsoletely, trigonous, 3—3°5 mm. long; the calyx is thinly membranous, 
cupular-campanulate, strongly-striately-veined, and with 3, often unequal, short or 
obtuse teeth; at the time of the anthesis the flowers lengthen wut to 4 or 
45 mm., the calyx becomes almost inflate, and usually splits open irregularly ; the 
corolla is twice as long as the calyx ; the portion covered by the calyx is narrow 
and solid and is parted above into three cartilaginous ovate-cymbiform, acute, exter- 
nally finely striate segments. Stamens 6, inserted at the throat of the corolla ; the 
filaments short, triangular and shortly united by their bases; anthers basifixed, ovate- 
sagittate, rather acute, the cells opening laterally : . rudimentary ovary obsolete 
Female spikes thicker than the male ones, and similarly provided with a very 
slender pedicellar part ; the flower-bearing part is 7—10 cm. long, terete, of a tomentose 
appearance, 4 mm. in diameter, not including the flowers. The axis of the spikes 
is slender and woody, and the spathels, which are inserted all round it, are very . 
small, bracteiform, subulate, very similar to those of the male spikes, and 
completely concealed by a pale yellowish tomentum, their tips (only) protruding 
above it; the flowers themselves are almost buried in a nestlike cup, formed 
of radiating hairs. Female flowers solitary ( ie., unaccompanied by a neuter), small, 
globose, 2°5 mm. in diameter at the time of the anthesis; the ealyx cupular- 
urceolate, its mouth truncate, thinly membranous, strongly-veined-costulate ; the 
corolla deeply parted into 3 thickly membranous striately veined segments, broadly 
ovate, their triangular points only protruding beyond the calyx. The ,androecium is 
well developed, having large erect sagittate-acuminate anthers nearly as long as 
the segments of the corolla but sterile and membranous-hyaline; the filaments by 
their  broadened, connate bases, form a tica cup, crowned with 6 short 
triangular teeth; ovary globose, covered with a few relatively large fimbriate 
