350 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 

 * Indigenous species. 



PHQINIX SYLVESTRIS, Roxb. Hort. Beng. 73; PI. Intl. III. 787; 

 Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. III. 276 (excl. syn. Linn, et Ksempf.) 326, t. 

 136. Kunth Emmi. III. 255 ; Wall. Cat. 8602 ; Griff, in Calc. Journ. Nat. 

 Hist. V. 350; Palms Brit. Ind. 141, t. 228, A; Brandis For. Fl. 554; 

 Ind. Trees 645; Kurz For. Fl. II. 535; Becc. Males. III. 347, 364, t. 

 43, f. 3 ; Hook. Fl. Brit. Ind. VI. 425 ; Cooke, Fl. Bomb. Pres. II. 801.— 

 Elate sylvestris, L. Spec. PI. 1189 (partim). — Katu Pindel, Ham. in Trans. 

 Linn. Soe. XV. 86.— Rheede Hort. Mal. III. t. 22, 25. 



Names. — Wild Date Palm, .Date-sugar Palm ; Sendhi", Kejur, 

 Khajur, Khaji, Salma, Thalma, Thakil, (Hind.) ; Kajar, Kejur, 

 (Beng.) ; lyhejuri, (Uriya) ; Khajur, (Kol.) ; Khijur, (Santal) ; 

 Sindi, (Goncl) ; Khajur, Khaji, (Panj.) ; Seindi, (Berar) ; Sendi, 

 Khajura, Khajuri, (Bomb.) ; Boichand, Sendri, Shindi (Mar.) ; 

 Kharak, (Guz.) ; Sandole.-ka-nar, (Dec.) ; Itchumpannay, Peria- 

 itcham, Itcham-nar, Itham pannay, (Tarn.) ; Ita, Pedda-ita, Ita- 

 nara, Ishan-chedi, (Tel.): Ichal, Kullu, Ichalu mara, (Kan.); 

 Khurjjuri, Kharjura, Madhukshir, (Sans.). 



-Description. — A very graceful palm, when not injured by ex- 

 tracting toddy, 30-50 feet high. Trunk rough from the persistent 

 bases of the leaf-stalks. Crown hemispherical, very large and 

 thick, leaves 10-15 feet long, greyish-green, quite glabrous, pin- 

 nate ; petioles compressed only towards the apex, at the base 

 bearing a few channelled triangular short spines reaching 4 inches. 

 Pinnules very numerous, densely fascicled, 6-18 by f-1 inch long, 

 glaucous, rigid, ensiform, conduplicate at the base, then canali- 

 culate, subulately acuminated, almost spinous pointed, 2-4 farious, 

 some intermediately' spreading, others crossing these above and 

 below in an ascending direction. Male flowers white, scented ; 

 spadix 2-3 feet long, erect ; peduncle highly compressed. Spathes 

 of about the same length, very coriaceous, almost woody, scurfy, 

 separating into two boat-shaped valves. Spikes very numerous 

 towards the apex of the peduncle, especially on its anterior face, 

 generally in fascicles and simple, 4-6 inches long, slender, flexuose. 

 Flowers £-^ inch long, very numerous, angular, oblique. Calyx 

 cup-shaped, with 3 short rounded teeth. Petals three or four times 

 lunger than the sepals, concave, warty on the outside, on the inside 



