P. himalayana. PLECTOCOMIA. 37 
also armed with long-pointed claws. Leaflets are very unequidistant, usually in 
distant pairs or threes on each side of the rhachis (the groups often opposite) ; 
are narrowly long-lanceolate, gradually tapering below to an acute base, at times 
flattened and subansate, and narrowing above to a very acuminate filiform tip, 
very long and slender in leaves of young plants; are thinly papyraceous, quite 
glabrous, and almost equally green on both surfaces; have a slender mid-costa 
and on each side of this 2—3 almost equally strong secondary nerves, so as to 
give to the blade the appearance of being pluricostulate; the margins are not 
thickened, but distinctly —ciliate-spinulous ; the lower and intermediate leaflets 
are 35—50 cm. long, 3:5—4 cm. wide, the upper ones gradually smaller. The 
entire inflorescence is terminal, pyramidate, in a female plant seen by me 
more than two meters high, composed of several gradually decreasing partial 
inflorescences, each issuing erect from the axil of a gradually reduced leaf ; are 
soon arching and bearing one above the other several pendulous spikes. Boathes 
of the main branches tubular-infundibuliform, tomentose in their lower part, 
obliquely truncate at the mouth, and produced at one side into a triangular 
acuminate point. Male spikes 60—80 cm. long; their main axis very slender, 
sinuous, terete, finely tomentose, its internodes 15 mm. long; spathels papyraceous, 
finely pubescent outside, especially in their basal part, oblong-obcuneate, triangular 
in their upper third or fourth part, acute or acuminate, 4—5°5 em. long, 2 cm. 
wide. Spikelets about half às long as the spathels, their axis slender, angular, 
fulvous-tomentose ; flower-bracts very minute, subulate. Male flowers geminate on 
notches of the axis of the spikelets, lanceolate, acuminate, 7—8 mm. long; the 
ealyx shallow, eupular, trigonous, or with '3 triangular subulate teeth, the margin 
glabrous ; petals several times longer ‘than the calyx, lanceolate with acuminate 
wavy points; stamens having subulate filaments with thickened bases; anthers 
broadly linear, slightly sagittate, obtuse, punctulate, 4 mm. long; rudimentary ovary 
represented by 3 very small round papille. Female spikes 45—60 em. long, 
having a pedicellar part 6—8 cm. long, attached to the bottom of their respective 
spathes, and sheathed by only one tubular-infandibuliform non-spikelet-bearing 
spathel, quite different from the succeeding spathels, all of which are spicigerous 
and identical with those of the male spikes, but of a firmer texture; the main 
axis of the spikes slightly sinuous, clothed with a thin soft, adherent, tobacco 
coloured tomentum; its internodes 15 mm. long, 3—4 mm. thick, slightly clavate, 
flattish on the axial side. Spikelets subscorpioid with 5—9 flowers subunilaterally 
biseriate on the deep notches of the axis; floral bracts very small, triangular 
subulate. Female flowers about as long as the largest male ones (8—9 mm. long 
but considerably broader (6 mm. broad at the base); the calyx very shallowly 
cupular, trigonous. 3-toothed, of a scarious texture, the teeth long-acuminate- 
subulate; the corola has a very short shallow coneave entire base, but otherwise 
is parted into 3 triangular acuminate segments; the sterile stamens form with 
the confluent broadened bases of the filaments a very shallow cup, divided into 
6 deltoid subulate teeth, bearing conspicuous sagittate anthers; ovary globose, 
strigose ; stigmas sessile, trigonous, subulate. Fruit globular, 15 mm. in diameter, 
rounded above, and crowned by the small remnants of the stigmas; scales very 
small, in very numerous longitudinal series, yellowish brown with shiny blackish, 
toothed-papillose (or glandular?) margins, nearly flat, slightly squarrose. Seed 
