r 
192 KEY TO SUB-CLASSES, ORDERS AND GENERA. 
CxXxI—? ALM A—cont. 
phloem, tracheides and parenchyma, as wellas a large mass of thick walled wood fibres, 
whereas the lower portion almost entirely consists of thick-walled wood fibres. The 
space between the fibrovascular bundles is occupied by praenchy matous tissue, which as a 
rule predominates in the centre of the trunk. Hence it follows that the hardest portion 
is near the outside of the trunk, consisting mainly of closely packed bundles of wood 
fibres. Near the centre the tissue is softer, and hence in some species old stems are 
often hollow. Preparatory to the production of flowers and seed, the parenchyma in 
the trunk of the Phoenix and other genera (analogous to what we find in the Beech 
before a seed year) is full of starch, which at the time of flowering is transformed into 
sugar. The starch of many species is utilized as sago, while the sugary sap is obtained 
either from the cut spadix or (in the case of Phoenir) from the trunk below the crown 
of leaves. | 
[Note.—In the following, leaves under 3 feet long will be considered “small ’’; 
from 3 to 6 feet, medium ; from 6 to 12 feet long; and over 12 feet, very long. | 
(I) Leaves bipinnatisect. medium to long, leaflets wedge (or fish-tail and 
fin) shaped, obliquely premorse, often caudate on one side, or rounded at apex ; 
fruit a hard berry 1--2 seeded; spathes 8—5, incomplete, tubular; spadices 
interfoliar, much branched, flowers solitary and male, or in threes of 1 female 
with 2 males; stem annulate, usually naked :— cmxci—Caryota, 
(II) Leaves simply pinnate or pinnatisect (rarely, Geonoma, simple :— 
(i) Leaflets wedge-shaped to linear, premorse at apex, or if (Pinanga) 
some leaflets acuminate, then at least others on the same leaf which are pre- 
morse, or a terminal obovate cuneate leaflet with many nerves ending in seta- 
ceous points; (terminal leaflets often conflaent;) side of leaflets reduplicate :— 
(1) Fruit a hard 1—3-celled berry :— 
(A) Spadix androgynous, male flowers at tips of spikes only, infrafoliar 
(or flowering after the fall of the leaf in the axil in which it 
was formed); spathes double; leaflets linear, numerous, upper 
confluent; stem erect, annulate; fruit ovoid or oblong, with ~« 
terminal stigmas; seed with a ruminate albumen; ovule 
erect :— cemlxxi—Avreca, 
(B) Spadix androgynous, flowers in threes with 1 female between 2 
males all along the spike, usually infrafoliar ; seed with ruminate 
albumen :— , 
(a) Leaflets long, narrow, either with red veins and margin (especial- 
ly when young), or else with goldea, or with white tomentose, 
petioles; stem erect, slender, annulate:— cmlxxiv—Dictyosperna, 
(b) Leaflets with variable form and apex, either broad linear pre- 
morse with upper confluent and forked, or a terminal cuneate- 
obovate deeply forked with a few broad uneqzal acaminate 
lateral ones, or the terminal pair premorse and lower pairs 
falcate alternate and acuminate; leaves smal) to medium; 
stem yery slender, erect, annulate; spathe solitary; fruit 
ovoid or ellipsoid ; ovule erect :— eee .. cmixxvii—Pinanga, 
(c) Leaflets short, archivg, linear-oblong, premorse; leaves medium, 
lanceolate in outline, with long sheaths; sputhes 2; fruit 
ovoid or ellipsoid, often beaked; ovale pendulous :— 
omlxxxi— Ptychosperna. 
(ad) Leaves medinm, cinnamon to bronze-coloured, cuneate obovate 
in outline, bifid, oblique at base, deeply laciniated down the 
side with incised segments; stem and sheaths very spiny; 
upper spathes long ciub-shaped, lower shorter; fruit ovoid; 
ovule erect :— emlxxxviii —Stevensonia. 
(C) Spadix usually 1-sexual (or if androgynous, flowers in threes with 
the female above—not between-—-the males), usually interfoliar ; 
seed with equal albumen :— : 
(a) Leaflets unequal, linear, premorse and jagged ; upper confluent ; 
leaves long; stem erect, annulate; spathe 1; frnit ovoid, 
ribbed ; ovule erect :-— bie 280 .. emlxxix—Hydriastele, 
(b) Leaflets long, linear, premorse, often 2 lobed as well, at tip, usually 
1—2 auricled at base, varionsiy fascicled ; leaves very long; 
stem densely clothed above with fibrous remains of leaf 
