THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 91^^ 



for each scale and rising from it successively, having the appearance 

 of small straw-coloured globules. Segments of corolla rigid and 

 parchment-like, rotundate, and ver}^ strongly- striate-nervose ; 

 at the apex the flowering branchlets are suddenly narroAved into 

 a small obtiise tail about 1 inch long and devoid of flowei's. 

 Female spadix not known. 



Fruits pretty regularly obovate-pyriform, markedly and gradually 

 attenuate towards the base, subhemispheric or almost regularl}' 

 rotundate in the upper third, laterallv slightly compressed, devoid 

 of a distinct keel, with numerous and small inequalities on the 

 surface ; base somewhat irregular with small gibbosities and only 

 1-li iiiches broad, whilst in the upper third the antero-posterior 

 diameter of the entire fruit is 21-2? inches and the transverse 

 diameter 2 inches; total length of fruit 3f inches; pericarp yqyj 

 large in comparison with the seed; sarcocarp well developed, f 

 inch thick on the sides and ij-i inch at the base and apex ; endo- 

 carp 5-2*4 inch thick on the ventral side, thinner on the other 

 side and slightly thicker below and aboAe, regularly incurved at the 

 apex above the seed, leaving a broad opening in its tissue for the 

 plumule to pass through at the time of germination. Seed slightly 

 above the centre of the fruit, obovate, 1|^ inches long and 1 inch 

 broad towards the upper third, from where it gets very little nar- 

 rower towards the flattened base ; the upper part is broadly conical 

 and the apex very obtuse ; albumen ^^-^ inch thick, the cavity 

 being conform to the shape of the seed. Embryo perfecth^ apical. 

 Pedicel -| inch long, comparatively slender, ^^^ inch broad at the 

 base and then restricted to a kind of neck ; perianth-lobes opaque, 

 puberulons, non-striate. 



Habitat. — Gujarat: Uiu (Burkill). " passim in Guzerat,'' fre- 

 quens in insula Diu (Vaupel), Ahmedabad. lat. bor. 23° (Oar. 

 de Hiig'el), proliably all along the Western Coast of India down 

 to Goa (Gammie). 



Note. — There are specimens of a species of Hyphsene growing 

 at Jaffna in Ceylon ; but whether they are identical with the 

 Indian Doum Palm or not, has not been decided as yet. 



Illustrations. — Plate XXXIII shows a male tree of Hyplicene 

 wdicd growinp' in Bassein Bot. Garden on the island of Salsette. 



