196 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [D. scapigerus 
‘after the anthesis, about 10 cm. long, quite unarmed; the flowering panicle 
ovate in outline, 15 em. long, with only 4 partial inflorescences, including the 
terminal one; sll the axial parts covered with a cottony, more or less 
permanent, rustv-brown scurf; the main axis zig-zag sinuous, with short (2-5 cm. 
long) flattened internodes; the first and second of these sometimes prickly; 
the peduncular part very long and slender—in one specimen 40 cm. in another 
1:15 m. long—strongly flattened, biconvex, and more or less acutely two-edged, 
very gradually broadening towards the upper end, being at the base 4-5 mm., and 
at the end 1 cm. broad; it is more or less permanently furfuraceous, and in its 
lower part armed on the margins with long, pale, straight, slender, erecto-patent, 
solitary or 2-3-nate spines, which huve a distinct axillary callus and a transverse 
rima; higher up the spines become shorter and closer all round the axis and are 
fascicled—digitate or divergent, very unequal and with thick swollen confluent bases ; 
partial inflorescences short, divaricate, 4-8 em. long, with thickish axes and only 2-3 
spikelets on each side ; secondary spathes comparatively large, membranous, exsuccous, 
reddish-brown, finely striate, embracing the base of the spikelets, broadly ovate, acute 
or acuminate; spikelets very short (15-20 mm, long), thickish, with very few (5-6) 
bifariously set assurgent flowers; spathels comparatively large, very broadly 
obliquely infundibular, tomentose at the base, produced at one side to a broad 
triangular subacute point that surpasses the involucre ; involucrophorum cupular, 
immersed in its spathel, subtending at one side the base of the neuter flower; 
involucre obliquely cupular or more evolute on the side of the neuter flower, immersed 
in and slightly longer than the involucrophorum ; areola of the neuter flower niche-like : 
the scar not swollen. Female flowers about 1 cm. long; the calyx campanulate 
obsoletely 3-toothed, soon split down almost to the base into 3 parts; corolla twice 
as long as the calyx, parted down to a little past the middle into 3 triangular 
acute, thinly coriaceous segments; calyx and corolla not distinctly striately-veined 
externally; staminal urceolum free and conical in its upper part, whieh is crowned 
by 6 triangular acute teeth and after the anthesis is carried up with the growing 
ovaries and later sheaths the beak of the young fruit like a muff ; fruiting 
perianth broadly obconical, callous at its base. Fruit (immature) globose-ovoid, 
surmounted by a stout, black, conical beak, Seales in 13-15 longitudinal series 
slightly grooved along the middle, of a straw-yellow colour with a rather broad 
black marginal line; the margins extremely narrowly scarious and almost inconspicuously 
erosely-toothed. 
HaBrrAT.—Borneo: near Kuching in Sarawak. (Beccari P. B. No, 22); in 
Sarawak; found also by Lobb in 1857 (Herb. Kew.). 
Ossexvations.—A very peculiar species on account of its very short flowering 
panicle borne on an extraordinarily long pedicellar part. Lobb’s specimen in Herb. Kew. 
is only a female spadix with growing ovaries and with two primary spathes still 
attached to it; my specimens have the fruit more advanced towards maturity and 
the spathes have fallen. 
