152 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [D. Kunstlerii 
side-faces soon unite to form an acute, smooth, salient angle; leaflets numerous, 
equidistant, 25-3 cm. apart, 30-40 cm. long, ll-15 mm, broad, gradually 
shorter towards the upper end, papyraceous, rigidulous, green and concolorous on both 
surfaces, linear-ensiform, broadest a little above the base and thence very gradually 
acuminate to a subulate tip, tricostulate and  plieate-striate, on the upper surface 
the mid-costa slender but very sharp, glabrous or with only a few straggling bristles 
near the apex; on each side of the mid-costa runs a slender secondary nerve 
bristly from near the base and stronger than a few others of the same kind; 
transverse veinlets very numerous, approximate and short; margins very minutely 
and appressedly spinulous. Male spadiz.................Pemale  spadiz before flowering 
elongate-cylindraceous, erect, as thick as a man’s finger, 50-55 cm. long (including a 
peduncular part 18-20 em. in length) arched and nodding when in fruit, covered in 
every part, but specially on the spathes, with a very soft, rusty, easily removable, 
and in the end deciduous, furfuraceous tomentum; the peduncular part is subterete, 
very slightly flattened, subclavate, and gradually passes into the outer spathe, is 
very densely armed with very unequal, small, fascicled or seriate, divergent, deflexed 
spines; primary spathes thickly coriaceous, oblong, bidentate at the apex; the 
inner protrudiug each considerably beyond the one immediately below; the outer, 
most armed, especially along two dorsal obsolete keels, with a line of small straight- 
deflexed spines; the second spathe has a few spines along the centre of the dorsum; 
all the others are unarmed; the spines of the spathes and of the peduncular part 
are like those of the leaf-sheaths, of a greyish-brown colour, and have a conspi- 
enous light-coloured swelling at their base; the panicle is formed by 6-7 partial 
inflorescences, und when in flower is fastigiate-cupressiform, when in fruit loosely 
ovate; the axial parts are covered with a thin, more or less persistent, furfuraceous 
indumentum; the main axis has the lower internodes cylindraceous or slightly 
clavate, 3-4 cm. long, 4-5 mm. in diameter; the other internodes slightly and 
unequally flattened; secondary and tertiary spathes very small, annular, Scarious, very 
slightly produced at one side; partial inflorescences erect-spreading with a distinct axillary 
callus; they are 10-12 cm. long and have 4-5 bifariously spreading spikelets on each 
side; their main axis is rigid, acutely angular; the lower largest spikelets are 6-7 cm, 
long and have 6-7 bifarious flowers on each side; the upper are somewhat shorter, 
and have fewer flowers; their axes are sinuous, angular; spathels annular, very 
Short, scarious, very slightly produced at one side into an acute point; involuero- 
phorum distinctly pedicelliform, 2-5 mm. long, callous at its axilla, angular, tapering 
slightly towards the base, flat and truncate at the upper end, almost without a limb; 
involucre on a level with the involucrophorum, flat, dioad, orbieular, also with 
no distinct limb; areola of the neuter flower iia: Tonah flowers 6 mm. 
long, very narrowly trigonous-pyramidate, acuminate, with a flat base; the 
calyx shortly cupular, with 3 very superficial teeth; the corolla about 5 times 
as long as the calyx, divided almost halfway down into 3 triangular, 
acutely pointed segments, Neuter flowers either inconspicuous or altogether 
absent. Fruiting perianth very broadly obconical and therefore very shortly 
pedicelliform. Fruit exactly spherical or sometimes slightly depressed, 16-17 mm. 
in diameter, beaked mammillate at the apex;  seales arranged in 18 longitudinal 
series, very narrowly grooved along the centre, of a uniform hazel-nut-brown colour, with 
very narrow, lighter coloured, scarious. almost entire margins, rhomboidal, broader than 
