E. minor. | EUGEISSONA. 201 
short, rigid, black, ascendent spines, otherwise smooth; the rhachis is trigonous 
with an acute salient angle above. Leaflets numerous, equidistant, the lower and 
those of the middle 50 cm. long, 2—3 cm. broad, the others gradually smaller; 
the mid-costa smooth or furnished on the upper surface only with a few very 
short spinules near the apex. Spadic short, paniculate, and on the whole 40—50 
cm. long; the pedicellar part short and smooth; the panicle alone 25—30 em. long 
and composed of only 3—6 very short appressed branches, each bearing 3-7 
sessile, very approximate flowers. Spathes unarmed. ‘The anthodia are formed of 
16—18 spathels, are oblong, slightly ventricose and (in fully developed flowers) 
‘3—3‘5 cm. long, 12 mm. across. The fully developed flowers are 6 cm. long not 
including the anthodium ; the calyx is tubular, subeylindrical, slightly broadening 
out above, 20—22 mm. long, 3-toothed, the teeth short, triangular, acute -or 
bluntish ; the corolla is at first entire in its lowest third, but after the fall of the 
anthers and when the ovary begins to increase in size, becomes deeply cleft and 
finally (at the fruiting stage) completely divided into three parts, very broad at their 
bases, and spreading under the fruit; that part of the divisions of the corolla that 
remains outside of the anthodium is 4 cm. in length; the divisions are very hard, 
linear, straight or obliquely acuminate-pungent, deeply bisulcate-striate internally, 
‘glossy, vernicose externally; the siamens are relatively few, inserted in tufts of 
about eight a little above the base of each division of the corolla; filaments short, 
subulate; anthers narrow, about 2 cm. long. Ovary at the time it attains to the 
bases of the stamens (probably at the moment of pollination) is oblong and 
obtusely trigonous ; the style is 3:5 mm. long, acutely trigonous, at times more or 
less distinetly twisted, bluntish. dark chestnut-brown and glossy, papillose stigmati- 
ferous on the margins. Fruit 7 cm. long and 4 em. across, broadly ovoid and very 
obtusely trigonous, very suddenly and stoutly rostrate, being contracted at about 
its uppermost third part into a trigonous pyramidate apex terminated by the 
persistent and unchanged style. Scales squarrose, slightly excavate at the base, chest- 
nut-brown and glossy, the edges; and especially the apices of much lighter colour 
and erosely-fringed on the margin; the largest scales are 1'5 mm. wide. The 
walls of the pericarp at about its middle are 4 mm. thick ; the endocarpal cavity 
is divided, as in £. tristis, into three long and three short incomplete alternating 
dissepiments. Seed (not seen mature) but most probably very similar to that of 
E. tristis. 
Hasrrat.—Borneo. I collected this curious palm, so very peculiar by its 
aerial roots, in marshy places in the plain between Sodomae and Gunong 
Poe in Sarawak (P. B. No. 2444 in Herb. Beccari). I consider also to belong to 
this species some fruits received from Kew, collected on the Barram river in 
North-west Borneo by J. Hewitt in September 1907. The roots supply very good 
walking canes and umbrella sticks. 
Osservations.—It much resembles Æ. ‘tristis, but is cat once distinguishable 
from it, as from all the other species at present known, by its short stem 
raised above ‘the ground by long aerial roots and by its short spadices, having 
the paniele composel of few flowers (only 20—30 on the whole) supported on a 
short, smooth, peduncular part. It is also characterized by its flowers 6 cm. long; 
ANN. Roy. Bor. GARD., CALCUTTA, VOL. XII. 
