M. vitiense] METROXYLON. 185 
6. MEerRoxyLon viriense Benth. et Hook. Gen. Pl. iii, 934; Drake del Cast 
Illustr. Fl. Ins. Pacif. viii, 323. - 
Celococcus vitiensis H. Wendl. in Bonpl. 1862, 199; Warb. in Berich. 
Deut. Bot. Gesell. xiv, (1896) 141, pl. X, f. 12. 
Sagus vitiensis H. Wendl. in Seem. Fl. Vit. 279, t. 80 and in Appendix 
to Seeman's © Viti”, 444. 
Description.—A large palm of the habit of a common Sago, tree, specially when 
young, attaining 12—15 m. in height at the age of bearing, crowned by about 
16 very large erecto-patent living leaves, besides a' few (5—6) withered and 
hanging below them ; the oldest leaves fall to the ground and leave the trunk 
(which is 30—40 em. in diameter) marked by approximate ring-like scars, and beset 
with spinescent adventitious ascendent rootlets, 12—25 mm. long. From the middle 
of the crown rises an immense inflorescence. After fructification the plant dies, as 
the trunk does not produce shoots from its base. The leaves are about 5 m. long; 
the petiole is armed in its lower part with complete rings of large confluent 
chestnut-brown spines, 4—7':5 cm. long; higher up the spines are in semicircular 
rows. The leaflets are (apparently) equidistant on the rhachis, but not all on one 
plane ; one leaflet seen by me,—probably from the intermediate part of the leaf of 
an adult plant is lanceolate-ensiform, 1:30 m. long, and 9 em. broad at its middle, 
very gradually acuminate to a long slender tip, rigid-papyraceous, but with the 
apex flaccid and recurved; it is green and glossy on both surfaces, very slightly 
paler beneath, the mid-costa is very strong, very prominent, acute and quite 
smooth on the upper surface, superficially or slightly marked by a shallow furrow 
and devoid of scales or paleole underneath ; the blade looks more or less distinctly 
plicate along 4 secondary nerves on each side of the mid-costa, two of the plice 
being apparent on the upper and two on the lower surface; tertiary nerves very 
numerous ; transverse veinlets sharp and very close together; the margins sharp and 
smooth. In a leaf from a very young plant, the petiole is armed with slender 
spines, and the leaflets have the margins ciliate-spinulous, and the mid-costa sparsely 
 spinulous in the upper surface from the middle up to the apex. The inflorescence 
is very large, forming a great diffuse panicle, 3:5 m. and more high, rising erect from 
the middle of the crown at the end of the life of the plant; it is twice branched 
as it has a straight erect main axis, divided into 20 or more primary erecto-patent 
branches, 25 m. and more long, which are divided again into secondary, or 
spike-bearing branches; these are similar to those of the common Sago palms, are 
slightly zig-zag sinuous, and carry distichall and alternately on each side a few 
spikes (4 in the specimen seen by me); their spathes are elongate infundibuliform 
and attenuate to a rather narrow base, are coriaceous and unarmed, have a very 
oblique mouth and are produced at one side into an acuminate blade, have 
strongly villose margins at the base, but are otherwise glabrous. The spikes 
have the pedicellar part villose at the margins on the axial side; while still young 
and the flowers are still concealed by the spathels, the spikes have a squarrose 
appearance. and are chestnut-brown coloured, are 8—10 cm. long, apiculate, and 
12—13 mm. in diameter; the spathels terminate in a triangular acute point and 
are strongly striately veined. Flower buds obovoid-oblong, obtuse, tapering below 
ANN. Roy. Bot. GARD., CALCUTTA, VOL. XII. 
