462 JOURNAL BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXII. 



BENTINCKIA CODDAPANNA, Berry in Roxb. Fl. Incl. III. 621 ; 

 Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. III. 165, 228, t. 139 ; Kunth Enum. Ill, 228, Griff, 

 in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. V. 467 ; Palms Brit. Ind. 160 ; Append. XXVI. 

 Wight in Madr. Journ. Nat. Sc. II. 385 ; Hook Fl. Brit. Ind. VI, 418 ; 

 Brandis Ind. Trees 647. — Keppleria, Mart. Mss. ex Endl. Gen. PI. 26. 



Names. — Lord Bentinck's Palm. Varvi Kaniavu (Mai.) ; Cadda- 

 panna (Teling.). 



Description. — Trunk slender, reed-like, about 20-30 feet high 

 and 6 inches in diameter, annulate. Leaves 3-5 feet ; leaflets 30-40 

 pair, 2 feet or more long, and 1^ inches broad, linear, much acumi- 

 nate, rigid, closely inserted, generally split at the point into two 

 exceedingly narrow triangular portions, two to four inches long, the 

 fissure often bearing a thread ; above 2 -keeled, keels paleaceous. 



Spathes membranous, lower truncate, upper complete. Spadices 

 1 -2 feet long. Common peduncle 2-3 inches long of violet colour 

 towards the base, branches few, each with a membranous broad 

 semi-amplexicaul bract, three or four times divided ; of the female 

 simple, generally only with two divisions. Colour of the male 

 spadices scarlet, of the female pale lilac or violet. Spikes 6-10 

 inches in length, subfastigiate. Male floM^ers arranged in rather 

 loose spires, immersed in pits, which are at first nearly closed, after- 

 wards opening vertically. In each pit there are 2, 3 or even 4 

 flowers, with occasionally a female in those towards the base of the 

 spikes, the upper ones opening first. An ovate-triangular bract 

 arises from under the lowermost flower ; and a small bracteole 

 bearded on the upper margin is situated on the outer side of the 

 upper ones. Calyx about 1 inch long ; sepals glumacious, oblong, 

 concave, rather obtuse, connate below, imbricate ; petals nearly 

 twice as long as the calj^x, purplish, ovate, rather acute, valvate. 

 Stamens 6, included ; filaments subiilate ; anthers ovate, subcordate, 

 versatile ; pistillode conical, nearly as long as the stamens. Female 

 flowers ovoid, sepals broad, obtuse, imbricate ; petals longer, con- 

 volute: staminodes 6, minute; ovary ovate, three-celled, one-ovuled; 

 style almost wanting ; stigmas 3, triangular. Fruit bright chocolate 

 coloured, when ripe ovate-globose, rather compressed, -J-f inch in 

 diameter, surrounded at the base by the perianth bearing the stigmata 

 near the base. Seed subglobose, brown, with a rather deep 

 complete furrow, and several other shorter ones. Testa obscurely 

 chestnut-coloured, with veins arising from the groove near the 

 embryo, and converging towards the base on the opposite face. 

 Albumen solid, hornj^. Embryo basilar, conical, nearly one line long. 



Habitat. — Travancore, 2,500-6,000 feet on precipitous cliffs, 

 local, but very common within its restricted areas. 



Flowers. — In June : fruit ripens 8-9 months afterwards. 

 Illustration : Plate LV. — The slender thin-stemmed palm, 

 photographed by Mr. Macmillan, grows in the Botanic Garden of 



