THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 739 



the branches, a female between 2 males towards the base. Male 

 flowers symmetric ; sepals suborbictilar ; petals valvate ; stamens 6 ; 

 anthers versatile; pistillode conical or columnar. Female flowers 

 bibracteolate ; sepals rounded, concave ; petals longer, tips valvate ; 

 stamens 4-6 ; ovarjr ovoid ; stigmas 3, triangular, acute ; ovule 

 parietal. 



Fruit small, ovoid, stigmas terminal. Seed ovoid, obtuse, deeply 

 grooved along the long, linear hilum, albumen deeply ruminate ; 

 ■embryo basilar, oblong. 



Species. — 3, Malayan. 



Leaflets 2-3 feet long ... ... P. augusta. 



Leaflets about 1 foot long ... ... P. singaporensis. 



PTYCHORAPRIS AUGUSTA, Becc, in Ann. Jard. Bot. Buifcenz., II, 

 90 ; Males, HI, 110. — Areca augusta, Kurz., in Journ, Bot., 1875, 331, t. 170. 



Description. — Trunk very tall, 80-100 feet high, 1 foot in 

 diameter. Leaves 8-12 feet long; leaflets numerous, 2-3 feet 

 long, sessile, narrowly linear, acuminate, 3-costate; petiole very 

 short; rhachis flat above, furfuraceously tomentose. 



Spadix decompound, 2^-o-|- „feet long. Male flowers : bracts 

 broad, smooth ; sepals broadly ovate ; petals oblong, obtuse. Fe- 

 male flowers.: sepals and petals nearly alike, concave, imbricate. 



Fruit 1 inch long, elliptic-oblong, scarlet. Seed oblong. 



Habitat. — Nicobar Islands, frequent, in woods in Kamorta. 



Illustration. — We reproduce on Plate LXXVI a midde-sized 

 specimen of FtycJiora-pMs augusta. 



The ]-ight side of the background is occupied hj a grove of coco- 

 nut palms. We have to thank Major Gage for the photograph. 



PTYGRORAPmS SINGAPORENSIS, Becc, in Ann. Jard. Bot. 

 Buitenz., II, 90, t. 196; Males, III, 109; Hook, Fl. Brit. Ind., VI, 413 ; 

 Eidley, Fl. Malay Penins., II, 148. — Ptychospenna sini/aporensis, Becc, 

 Males I, 61. — Rhopalohla^te singaporensis. Hook , f. in Gen. PI. HI, 892. — • 

 DrymopMoeus singaporensis, Hook., f . Kew Gard. Rep. (1882) 1884, 55. 



Names. — In Singapore : Eintin, Kerintin. German : Singapore- 

 •Runzel-Areka. 



Description, — Stem slender, 6-12 feet high, 1^ inch in diameter, 

 soboliferous, black, ringed. 



Leaves pinnate ; petiole nearly 3 feet long, blade 4 feet, leaflets 

 very many, alternate, narrow linear acuminate, 8-12 inches long, 

 \ inch wide, 3-nerved, upper shorter, midrib beneath scaly ; rhachis 

 scurf}^. 



Spadix slender, deflexed, about 1 foot long, about 5-7 branched 

 from the base ; spikes moderately slender, ^ inch thick, rhachis olive 

 green (according to Eidley), rusty furfuraceous (according to Fl. 



