230 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [D. floridus 
growing ovaries; portion of a sheath probably from a radical leaf: from Hallier's 
specimen No. 2797 in Herb. Hort. Bot. Bogor. 
83 bis. (91) DaEMoNomRoPS FLORIDUS Becc. sp. n. 
DexscniPTION.— Apparently scandent and rather large. Sheathed stem about 5 cm, 
in diameter. Leaf-sheaths strongly armed with laminar, light-coloured spines, of which 
some, especially those near the mouth, are very large (as much as 4-5 cm. long 
and 5-6 mm. broad) finely subulate to a sinous, or wavy, or, at times, bipartite 
point; mixed with these are many others, much smaller, but of the same shape. 
The leaves seem very large. The portion of one seen by me is of the upper 
part, and this terminates in an extraordinarily robust cirrus, very regularly armed 
with half-whorls of very robust claws, 5-7 in number, which are highly connate into 
a light-coloured swollen base, and have short, very sharp, black points; the rachis on 
its upper surface has a not very acute, smooth, salient angle, with flat side faces, 
on the lower surface it is strongly convex and armed like the cirrus; the leaflets 
are distinctly but irregularly grouped, separated by variable, at times rather long, 
vacant spaces; they are inserted at a rather acute angle, and, in the groups, are 
2-5 cm. apart; they are very firmly papyraceous and rigid, coarsely  plicate 
longitudinally, quite bare of spinules or bristles, and almost glossy on the upper 
surface; slightly paler, dull, and also quite smooth, on the lower; lanceolate, 
unicostate, and with 2-3 slender, although sharp nerves on each side of the mid- 
costa; broadest about their middle, and tapering thence at once upwards to a 
very gradually acuminate and long point, and downwards to an acute base; 
the margins are very remotely and inconspicuously spinulous; transverse veinlets 
inconspicuous, being immersed in the parenchyma; the largest leaflets seen by me 
are 30-35 cm. long, and about 3 em. broad: those nearer to the cirrus are smaller. 
Male spadiz . . . . . Female spadiz, in one specimen, is 15 m, long, very 
narrow, the panicle is formed by 10-11 gradually diminishing partial inflorescences, 
is borne on a robust, rigid, flattened pedicellar part which is about 15 cm. long, 
2 em, broad, strongly flattened, and acutely two-edged, the edges armed with 
straight, spreading spines; the main axis is subterete or obsoletely angular, and 
slightly flattened, especially in its upper part; the internodes are 8-10 cm. long, 
not swollen at the junctures, and not marked by irregularities caused by the 
pressure of the adjoining parts; primary spathes thinly coriaceous: the outermost not 
seen by me: the inner are at first tubular, each protrudes considerably beyond | 
the other; later they split longitudinally, and are more or less spread open, 25-30 
em. long, about 3 cm. broad, their apex triangular, dull on both surfaces, of a 
general red-brown colour, glabrous, and finely striate inside, fugaciously-rusty - 
furfuraceous externally, quite unarmed: partial inflorescences cupressiform ; the lower 
are 10-12 cm. long, have the axes rigid, and the internodes short; the lowest 
internode is flattened, and the others, especially towards the apex, are sinuous ; 
the spikelets are 6-8 in number on each side of the axes, and speedily decrease 
in length and number of flowers from the base towards the apex of the partial 
inflorescences; secondary spathes thinly membranous, dry, reddish-brown, shortly 
tubular-infundibuliform, considerably produced at one side into a triangular acuminate 
