82 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [ FEBRUARY 
a deep basal cavity in the horny albumen. Martius, however, 
now enlarged the genus to include the Thrinax argentea of 
Roemer & Schultes, with seed marked by numerous vertical 
grooves caused by the regular infolding of the testa into the 
lobed albumen(‘ nucleus vasis impressis a basi sursum decurven- 
tibus insculptus”). Bentham & Hooker, who next described 
the genus, speak of the seed as vertically sulcate (‘‘sulcis sinu- 
atis verticalibus exculptum”) without referring to the fact that 
in the type of the genus and in some of the species referred to 
it by Martius the seed is simply penetrated by a basal cavity. 
Drude in his study of the genus divided it into three sections, 
Euthrinax for the species with sulcate seeds and ruminate albu- 
men; Heminothrinax for the younger Hooker’s monotypic 
genus of that name with setulose perianth lobes, sessile extrorse 
anthers, and seeds penetrated by deep basal cavities; and Poro- 
thrinax, a name proposed (without characters) by Wendland in 
Grisebach’s Catalogus Plantarum Cubensium for Thrinax pumilo, 
the type of a group of species with nearly sessile flowers, ovate 
acute perianth lobes, triangular filaments, and uniform albumen 
penetrated by a deep basal tavity—that is, with seeds similar 
in structure to those of Swartz’s type of Thrinax. Baillon fol- 
lowed Drude in his treatment of the genus, and in the tenth 
volume of The Silva of North America this arrangement was also 
adopted. An examination of fresh material shows, howeveh 
that the fruit of the Florida species with uniform albumen pene 
trated by a basal cavity is drupaceous and ivory-white, and that 
in those species in which the seed is vertically sulcate by the 
infolding of the testa into the ruminate albumen the fruit is 
baccate and black. Principally for this reason, and for some les 
important characters, I propose to group the Thrinax-like plants” 
of Florida in two genera as follows: ? 
‘In all the Thrinax-like plants of Florida the pericarp remains thin and crust: 
ceous until the seed is fully developed, and then quickly thickening becomes succulest 
and very. juicy, a character which is not often apparent in the herbarium, as the 
is frequently collected before the pericarp begins to thicken. Even when it is gah 
ered fully ripe the flesh becomes thin and leathery in drying and gives a very imp 
fect idea of the fresh fruit. oe 
