THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 273 



petiole more or less If foot long; rhacliis strongly arcuate; seg- 

 ments numerous, equi-distant, smaller and narrower than in the 

 foregoing species, tricostulate, sometimes sub-5-costulate, straight 

 (not sigmoidal), ensiform, very acuminate, with the margins more 

 or less thickened, slightly attenuate towards the base ; the larger 

 segments (about the middle of the leaf 2 ^-2 \ feet long and about 1 

 inch broad, lower surface without those small brown scales of H. 

 Forsteriana. 



Spadices solitary, 3 ^-5 feet long, the florifous part measuring 

 2^-3^ feet; the peduncular part slightly compressed with rotundate 

 margins, delicately reddish-tomentose, -i-g inch broad. Basilar 

 spathe membranaceous, dry, marcescent, about 1 foot long, strongij- 

 compressed, with very acute narrowly winged margins, about one 

 inch broad. Second spathe completely surrounding the floriferous part 

 and inserted on the peduncular part about ^ foot below the lower 

 flower, rigidly cartaceous, dehiscent along its whole length, terminated 

 by a rather long point, more or less densely covered with small red- 

 dish-brown scales, as to the rest glabrous ; sometimes the scales are 

 confluent and form a very thin adherent indument. The axile 

 floriferous part of the spadix is more or less furfuraceous-reddish and 

 finally glabrous, as thick as a little finger, graduallj^ attenuate 

 towards the end and very deeply scrobiculate, on the whole having 

 the appearance of the same part in H. Forsteriana, only much lon- 

 ger; the scrobiculi seem to be more numerous (Beccari found in 

 the specimens studied that they are arranged in 9 longitudinal 

 series) ; the bract of the male flower in each scrobiculus is broadlj- 

 triangular, subcordate at the base, acute. — Male flowers : oblong, in 

 the completely developed bud 2/5 inch long, 1/5 inch broad, ro- 

 tundate above. Calyx acutely trigonous ; sepals strongly cucullate, 

 very acutely carinate, ciliate on the margins. Corolla obtuselj- 

 trigonous, in perfectly developed flowers about twice as long as the 

 calyx ; petals oblong, slightly concave ; stamens 35 — 40, almost all 

 equal, filaments very short and only in a few inner stamens more or 

 less elongate ; anthers linear, obscurely apiculate with a large con- 

 nective ; cells narrow, laterally dehiscent. Female flowers globular 

 in bud and, if we are allowed to conchide from the fruiting perianth, 

 identical with those of H. Forsteriana. 



Fruit similar to that of H. Forsteriana, but shorter, ovate-elliptic, 

 a little more attenuate towards the apex than at the base, finely 

 striate outside when dry, li-lf inch long (perianth included), 

 i\-r\ inch broad, terminated by the remains of the stigmas 

 which form a depressed-conical papilla ; colour greenish black . 

 fruiting perianth the same as in the foregoing species. Seed ovate, 

 f inch long, l\ inch broad. 



Habitat. — Lord Howe's Island, but always on the mountains and 

 on basalt, never in the coralliferous soil of the plains (ex Beccari). 



