922 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [D. sparsiflorus 
priekly on the obtuse edges, otherwise smooth above, and has only a few 
distant claws underneath along the centre; the rachis bas a line of claws along the 
centre, solitary at first, ternate towards the end; above, the rachis is bifaced and 
has the salient angle acute, and is very narrowly grooved along the edge, the groove 
resulting from the mid-costa of the leaflets of one side, which are decurrent along. 
and near the edge of the salient angle, and do not unite with the mid-costae of the 
leaflets of the other side; leaflets very numerous, 48 on each side of the rachis 
(Hewitt) very regularly and very closely set at a rather wide angle, otherwise 
exactly as in the forma typica. Male spadiz elongate; before flowering it is about 
60 cm. long, straight, rigid, flattened in its lower part, terete above beyond the 
first spathe, and acuminate at its upper end; primary spathes hard and thick, 
almost woody, conspicuously costulate, and deeply striate-sulcate longitudinally; the 
lowest spathe is somewhat flattened and has rather acute edges, those following before 
the anthesis are terete, and gradually protrude one above the other; all are unarmed, 
but furnished, at their upper end, with many, long, feeble, pale, bristles; the 
panicle is narrowly cupressiform, strict, acuminate, borne on an unarmed flattened 
pedicellar. part 6-7 cm. long, and composed of 6-7 gradually diminishing, twice 
pravched, appressed, dense, fastigiate or thyrsoid, partial inflorescences, of which the 
lowest is the largest and 13-15 em. long; the lower branchelets are 6-7 cm. long 
and carry alternately and distichally 6-7 spikelets on each side; the axis of the 
branchlets is rigid, thickish at the base, about 2 mm, broad, is more or less 
sinuous, and speedily diminishes towards a finely subulate apex; the spikelets are 
inserted at a rather acute angle, have a very slender, filiform, rigid, slightly 
sinuous, angular axis; the largest spikelets are those at the base of the branchlets, 
and these are about 3 cm. long and bear 6-7 flowers on each side, which 
flowers rest on a small tubercle and are distichally set; the following spikelets 
are gradually but speedily shorter; the uppermost spikelets are only 10-15 mm. 
long, and have very few flowers; spathels and involucre obsolete, Male 
flowers oblong, blunt, 4 mm. long, 1'5 mm. broad, subtrigonous, or more or less 
flattened; the calyx is cyathiform from a flat base, truncate and very obsoletely 
3-denticulate at the mouth, finely striately-veined; the corolla is at least 3-4 times 
as long as the calyx. Female spadir about 60 cm. long (in one specimen), nodding 
when in fruit, rather densely panicled, composed of 5-6 partial inflorescences, of 
which the lowest is 22 cm. lony, is slightly branched in its basal part, and 
carries simple spikelets in the remaining portion; the other partial inflorescences have 
only simple gpikelets, usualy 8-10 on eaeh side of the axis; the largest spikelets 
are 8-10 em. long, have a rigid, subtetragonous, slightly zig-zag sinuous axis, carry 
12-14 fiowers on each side, and the flowers are almost regularly distichous; in- 
voluerophorum (pedicelliform) and involucre exactly as in the type. Fruiting perianth 
very shortly pedicelliform, from the hardened base of the calyx. Fruit spherical, 
minutely and acutely beaked, 12 mm. in diam., scales arranged in 15 longitudinal 
series, neatly and narrowly grooved along the centre, umber-brown with a rather 
broad, black margin all round, and a blunt apex. Seed somewhat flattened, 
orbicular, almost lenticular and almost equally convex on both sides, minutely 
tubercled, 1 cm. broad, 8 mm. thick; chalazal fovea obsolete; albumen bony, 
irregularly ruminate; embryo basal. 
