168 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [D. verticillaris 
ascendent spiculae; inner spathes gradually smaller, flat, not dorsally keeled and 
somewhat less densely spiculiferous; the internodes of the main axis are slightly 
flattened, have very obtuse edges, are slightly swollen at the joints, and have an 
axillary callus and a deep transverse fovea; partial inflorescences 10-12—not 
reckoning the ultimate and rudimentary—rather dense, ovate in outline, rigid, with 
straight or slightly flexuous axes,; the lower inflorescences are the largest, 12-15 
em. long (the others decreasing gradually in size), with a short 2-3 cm. long, 
plano-convex pedicellar part, and 5-7 gradually shortening,  bifarious, erecto-patent 
branchlets on each side; the lowest branchlets are 6-7 cm. in length, bracteiform, 
and have 4-6 bifarious spikelets on each side; secondary and tertiary spathes 
bracteiform, exsuccous, brown, finely striate, with a very short tubular part, 
extended laterally into a broad, triangular, finely acuminate limb; spikelets’ 
12-15 mm. long, quite flattened, 8-10 mm. broad, with 15-18 perfectly bifarious, 
contiguous, almost horizontal flowers on each side; their axes contracted, and 
the spathels very approximate or even imbricate, entire, concave-subcymbiform, 
and extended at one side, intoa broad, rather obtuse point which subtends the flowers 
and protrudes beyond the involucre; the involucre is cupular, rather deep, round, 
runcate, entire. Male flowers cylindrial or slightly clavate, with a round top, 
4 mm. long, and 1°5 mm. thick; the calyx tubular-campanulate, faintly striately 
veined, truncate, very indistinctly 3-denticulate; corolla two and half or three times 
as long as the calyx, parted down two-thirds of its length into 3 coriaceous, not 
distinctly striate, linear-oblong, concave, obtuse segments, and furnished internally at the 
insertion of the stamens, a little past the middle, with 6 small, but rather 
conspicuous, light-coloured, fleshy, tuberculiform bodies, which alternate with the 
bases of the filaments; the filaments are free among themselves, red-coloured, thickish, 
terete, subulate, with inflected apices; anthers versatile, oblong, deeply parted at the 
base, blunt at the apex; rudimentary ovary formed by 3 rigid, slender, erect, 
acute, red rods, united by their bases and reaching to about the middle of the 
corolla. Female spadiz simple, decompound, rigid, erect, 1-15 m. long, forming a 
large panicle; its peduncular part is rather short (8-15 cm. long) somewhat flat, or 
plano-convex with rather obtuse, smooth, or very sparingly crinite edges; primary 
spathes as in the male spadix, deciduous; the main axis rather robust at 
its base, slightly swollen at the joints and bearing, at intervals of about 
10 cm., several partial inflorescences; the internodes are  plano-convex, have 
acute edges at their base, and are slightly flattened everywhere else; partial inflor- 
escences spreading when in fruit; the lower ones 20-30 cm. long with a short (1-3 
em. long) plano-convex pedicellar part, and a distinct axillary callus; they have 5-8 
spreading or almost horizontal spikelets on each side; secondary and tertiary 
spathes as in the male spadix; spikelets 8-12 cm. long, slender, with numerous 
and rather approximate flowers, (I counted from 18 to 28 on each side), their 
axes slightly sinuous; spathels infundibuliform, produced at one side into a membra- 
nous, reddish, broadly triangular, acuminate point, furfuraceous-tomentose on their 
lower part; involucrophorum embraced by its spathel, and usually shorter than its point, 
obconical and with a short, obliquely truncate, entire or posticously obsoletely 
bidentate limb; involucre usually asymmetrically cupular; areola of the neuter flower 
ovate or roundish, sharply defined by acute raised borders. Female flowers small, 
