THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 529 



Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl., 267 (1810). Hook. Bot. Mag., t. 4961 (tantum quoad 

 fig. 9, 10, 11. Spreng. Syst. Veg., 11., 623; Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, III., 

 181, 313, t. 105, 106, 109 ; Kth., Enum. PI. III. 189.— Wandl. Ann., 

 III., 462, V. 809. 



Name. — Zierliche Faltenniisspalme (German). 



Description. — A rather slender palm. Leaves 6^ feet long, 

 recurved, regularly pinnatisect ; rhachis semi-lunar, in cross section ; 

 leaflets 2 feet long, 1-3 inches broad, linear, tip very obliquely 

 truncate and toothed, bright green, paler beneath ; sheath 18-24 

 inches long, 6-7 inches broad. 



Spadix 12-18 inches long, inserted below the leaves, very shortly 

 peduncled, broadly triangular, repeatedly divided into strict branch- 

 lets ; peduncle compressed ; branchlets slender, terete. Mowers 

 sessile, ternate, a female between 2 males, protandrous ; towards the 

 end of the branchlets glomerules of 2 male flowers only, and close to 

 the apex single male flowers are developed. Male flowers regular, 

 elongate, obtuse, \ inch in diameter ; sepals orbicular ; petals 

 oblong, obtuse ; stamens 25-30, exserted dui-ing the time of flower- 

 ing; fllaments erect; aiithers versatile, deeply bifid at the base, 

 bilo bed-obtuse at the apex, broadly linear ; pistillode well developed,, 

 ovate at the base, attenuate into the filiform style, about as long as 

 the stamens. Female flowers globose-oval or ovate-conical, very 

 small; sepals and petals largely imbricate ; staminodes 3-6, dentiform, 

 minute, some being sometimes larger than the rest ; ovary ovate, 

 attenuate at the apex, not perfectly symmetrical, 1 -celled; stigmas 3, 

 triangular, acute ; ovule parietale, marked with 5 distinct depressions 

 which represent the furrows of the ripe seed. 



Fruit seated on the aurescent calyx, | inch long, oblong, 

 crowned with the stigmas ; pericarp fleshy ; mesocarp finely fibrous; 

 endocarp finely membranous, strongly adherent to the seed. Seed 

 globose, with 3 deep longitudinal furrows, and 2 more superficial 

 ones ; albumen much ruminate ; embryo basilar. 



Habitat. — Northern and Eastern Coasts of tropical Australia, and 

 some of its outlying islands, from Sandy Island in lat. 25*^ S. to 

 Cape York in lat. IIQ N. 



This palm was discovered by Sir Joseph Banks during Cook's 

 first voyage in 1770, at the mouth of the Endeavour River. 



Uses. — In Queensland the stems are used for the rails of fences. 

 The small stems used sometimes go under the name of "Moreton 

 Bay Canes." The leaves are used by the aborigines for water 

 baskets (Maiden). 



LOXOGOGCUS, Wendl. and Drude Linn., 39 (1875), 185. 



(From the Greek "loxos," oblique and " coccos " kernel, berry.) 

 Bot. Mag., t. 6358. Benth. and Hook., Gen. PI. Ill, II, 

 13. 



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