196 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA [ Eugeissona. 
SPURIOUS LEPIDOCARYEAE. 
EUGEISSONA acnirr, 
Griff. in Cale. Journ. Nat. Hist. v, 101 cum ic., and Palms Brit. Ind. 109 and 
App. AAU, t. 220, 220 A. B. C.; Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. on 212, 243, t. 179, 180 ; 
Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. nm, 77; Becc. in Nuovo Giorn. Bot. It. iii, 18, and Malesia, iii, 58, 
and in Webbia iv, (1913) 190, f. 8. 10 ; Benth. et Hu. L Gem Plant, ni, 934 
(Eugeissonia); Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 480; Ridley, Mat. Fl. Mal. Penins. ii, 171. 
Arboreous or short stemmed and caespitose monocarpic palms. Leaves elongate 
pinnate, having a broad elongate spinous base clasping the stem ; the petiole very 
elongate, more or less spinous, channelled at the base, terete or obtusely trigonous 
above; the leaflets straight, unicostate, narrow, very acuminate, more or less bristly 
on the mid-costa above.  Zmnfloresence terminal, elongate, cupressiform or narrowly 
panicled, composed of several primary branches drawn together and more or less 
divided again, the ultimate divisions bearing solitary fascieled or secund flowers. 
Primary spathes coriaceous, tubular, closely sheathing ; the lower ones often long- 
acuminate or caudate, spinous or smooth ; spathes of the branches tubular-infundi- 
buliform, truncate ; a certain number of small spathes or spathels envelop the 
flowers, are coriaceous and imbricating, and form a kind of anthodium ; the last 
spathel of the anthodium is usually two-keeled or two-winged on its back, its wings 
protecting a serotinous or abortive flower, or else only the rudiment of the pro- 
Jongation of the axis. The flowers are large, of a very hard, coriaceous or almost 
woody, not perishable structure, hermaphrodite, but dichogamous and proterandrous, 
opening successively, and being of long physiological duration; at first they seem 
to be only male, having perfectly evolute stamens and a very small, almost rudi- 
mentary ovary ; later, however, the same flower loses the anthers, and the ovary 
gradually developes, while only the filaments of the stamens remain in tufts at the 
base of the divisions of the corolla. (It may be that at times some flowers have 
not even a rudiment cf an ovary, but apparently a flower having the ovary in- 
course of development is never found without the remains of the stamens) The 
calyx is tubular-campanulate, more or less 3-lobed at the mouth, membranous-char- 
taceous or pergamentaceous. The corolla is very elongate and narrow, and has the 
apex acute and pungent ; it is much longer than the calyx, is entire, tubular, of 
a thin and fleshy structure at its base only, in the part that remains inclosed in the 
calyx ; in the remainder it is divided into 3 very elongate, thick, coriaceous or 
woody acuminate segments.  Stamens numerous, from 24 to about 70, divided: into 3 
groups, one at the base of each of the 3 divisions of the corolla ; filaments filiform, 
persistent ; anthers deciduous, very elongate and narrow, attached by the base; the 
cells parallel ; pollen violaceous. Ovary oblong, developing after the fall of the 
anthers, clothed with scales, incompletely 3-locular, the dissepiments not reaching to 
the centre ; the loculi placed in the lowest and only fleshy part of the ovary, the 
upper part being coarsely fibrous and woody ; ovules 3, erect from the base of the 
loculus ; style very shori, hard, 3-cleft at apex, the divisions connivent, stigmatose 
on the inner faces (Grifl. or perhaps never spreading and stigmatose on the papillose 
angles of the trigonous style. Fruit large, ovoid, of a very hard structure, 
clothed with  innumerable very small scales, and terminated by the persistent 
unchanged style. Pericarp on the whole rather thick, its mesocarp formed hy coarse 
