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K. debilis. i KORTHALSIA. 123 
margins undulate and  praemorse-toothed ; the apex usually produced and caudate; 
main nerves 6-7, slender, the central one slightly stronger than the others; 
transverse veinlets very fine; ansae strongly flattened, 5-6 mm. long. The lower 
leaves have longer petioles, and apparently a few more leaflets. The leaves near 
the infloresence are much reduced in length, and ‘have considerably ^ smaller 
leaflets. Inflorescence narrowly panieled, about 30 cm. long, composed of a very 
few appressed, undivided branches, bearing very few erect spikes; spathes tubular, 
narrowly infundibular, closely sheathing. smooth or very slightly spinulous, produced 
above to a broad membranous acuminate limb embracing the base of the spikes, 
and finally marcescent. Spikes slender, flexuous, 10—15 em. long, and when 
bearing flowers 10 mm. in diameter but only 5-6 mm. when without them, and 
then of a somewhat tomentose appearance; spathels coneave, broader than long, 
often connate by their sides, striately veined, their upper margins rounded and 
ciliolate, and slightly produced above the dense light coloured wool to which the 
floral bracteoles are almost entirely reduced. Flowers clavate-oblong, rounded 
above, 4 mm. long, 2°5 mm. broad; the calyx nearly half exserted from the wool 
of the bracts, thinly cartilaginous, urceolate, deeply parted downwards into 3 ovate— 
obtuse lobes, polished externally ; the corolla nearly 3 times as long as the calyx, 
deeply divided into 3 cartilaginous segments, faintly striately veined externally, 
contracted at the throat, entire and slightly ventricose in its lower part; the 
stamens have very short and thick filaments, united at the throat of the corolla, 
and broadly lanceolate-sagittate, acute anthers; ovary ovoid, narrowing above to a 
short, conical, sulcate, acute style, reaching only to the base of the anthers; 
stigmas very minute, punctiform. Fruit small, globular, 10-11 mm. in diameter 
rounded at both ends, shortly but acutely beaked at apex; the pericarp on the 
whole thin and brittle; mesocarp very sparingly fleshy; scales in 17-18 longitudinal 
series, slightly convex, not deeply grooved along the centre, reddish brown, the 
apex obtuse and blackish and slightly produced, the margins and especially the 
apex conspicuously ciliate-fringed. Seed globular, 6-7 mm. in diameter, its surface 
brownish, slightly uneven and marked with 6-7 very faintly impressed longitudinal 
vein8; hilum basilar; lateral intrusion of the integument deep and broad; albumen 
homogeneous, curved, crescent-like in longitudinal section. 
Hansrrar.—Sumatra, in the Province of Padang (Korthals); in the Prov. of 
Palembang (Heyne No. 13 in Buitenzorg Herbarium and J. A. van Rijn van 
Alkemade in Herb. Martelli). Borneo on Mt. Mattang in Sarawak (Bece. P. B. 
No. 1914). 
OsservatIONs. --I have based the description of this species on specimens 
gathered from plants cultivated at Buitenzorg, under their right name of K. dehilis, 
and introduced from Palembang. Nat. name ‘“ Rotang dahan ", a name, however, 
applied to several of the non-ocrigerous Korthalsias. Korthal’s type specimen 
has leaves bearing 6 pairs of leaflets, almost regularly rhomboidal, but longer than 
wide, and having undulate, obsoletely toothed upper margins. Heyne’s specimens 
No. 13 are also sterile and have leaves with 12 leaflets, sharply toothed on the 
upper margins ; in one of these specimens the leaf sheaths are nearly unarmed. in 
another are rather closely prickly. On the whole K. debilis appears a rather 
ANN. Roy. Bor. GARD., CALCUTTA, VOL. XII, 
