136 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. (D. Hystrix 
here in its first portion, and has an acute salient angle with flat side faces in 
the remainder; underneath in its first part it is convex and armed with solitary claws, 
in the remaining portion it is flattish and the claws are 3-nate, 5-nate, and finally 
half-whorled on the cirrus. Leaflets numerous (about 100 on the whole in vigorous 
plants), equidistant, 2-3 cm. apart, frequently almost opposite, the upper ones more 
distant and smaller; they are very narrowly linear-lanceolate, diminishing towards 
& rather acute base, and very gralually acuminate from below the middle to 
a very slender subulate tip, green on both surfaces; above they are sub-tricostulate 
or have the mid-costa acute and one rather slender nerve on each side of it stronger 
than the other secondary nerves, and like t^e mid-eosta, sparingly bristly from the 
middle upwards; underneath, the mid—costa, and 1-2 nerves on each side of it, of 
which one lies very near to each margin, are covered throughout with an almost 
uninterrupted line of very close, small, appressed bristles; transverse veinlets rather 
inconspicuous, short, not very approximate, and much interrupted; margins minutely 
not very closely and appressedly spinulous; the spinules more spreading and longer 
towards the apex: in vigorous specimens the leaflets attain 40 cm. in length 
and 14-16 mm. in breadth, usually they are 25-30 em. by 12-14 mm. Spadices 
axillary in appearance, but really inserted near the mouths of their respective sheaths, 
exactly opposite to the base of the petioles, Male spadiz externally not differing from 
the female one (seen by me only in a young stage). Female spadiz before flowering, 
rigid, erect, slender, slightly arched, terete, 15-20 mm. in diam., in vigorous plants 
60-80 cm., but, frequently only 40--50 cm. long; primary spathes thickly coriaceous, 
at first tubular and narrowly ear-shaped, obliquely truncate, and usually shortly 
bi-dentate at the upper end, each protruding a good deal from that immediately below; 
the outermost is usually long persistent, after the anthesis more or less spread 
open, spathulate above, elongately sub-infundibuliform and diminishing towards the 
base, glabrous and glossy inside, greyish or  rusty-furfuraceous or at times 
glabrescent externally, more or less armed on the back, especially near its base, with 
flat, short and broad, solitary or confluent, or even seriate or digitate, laminar 
spines; not infrequently a few broad, laminar spines are also to be found on the 
edges near the apex; inner spathes smaller, deciduous; the 2nd, 3rd and 4th gradu 
ally less spinose, the others unarmed; peduncular part of the spadix short (3-6 
em. in length), usually more or less prickly, at least at the sides; the axial parts 
more or less covered with a very thin rusty-furfuraceous, partially evanescent, 
indumentum; the main axis is subterete in its lower part, irregularly angular 
higher up and bears 5-10 partial inflorescences which are erect when bearing the 
flowers and spreading later when loaded with fruits, and more or less callous in 
their axilla; the lowest partial inflorescences are 12-15 cm, long and bear 4-6 alter- 
nately bifarious, spreading spikelets on each side; their axes are straight, rigid and 
more or less distinctly 3-1-gonous; upper partial inflorescences shorter and with fewer 
spikelets; secondary and tertiary spathes very short, annular, slightly produced at 
one side into a short acute triangular point; spikelets at first erect, then spreading, 
and finally, when loaded with fruits, horizontal, 4-8 cm. long, and with 5-7 
bifarious flowers on each side; their axes rather slender, 1'5-2 mm. thick, 
angular and slightly sinuous; spathes very short, annular, produced at one side 
into a small scale-like, amplectent, broadly triangular, acute point; involucrophorum 
