Beccari and Rock — Pritchardia. 37 



Habitat. — Bird Island or "Nihoa," one of the most northerly islands of the 

 Havv-aiian group. Professor Rock procured me the specimens, from which the 

 description above is drawn up; they were collected by Capt. Brown of the U. S. 

 Revenue cutter "Thetis." The specimens were accompanied by a photograph, 

 from which are deduced the general characteristics of the plant. 



Observations. — It approaches Pr. Hillebrandi more than any other. It is, 

 however, a distinct species, characterized by its small dimensions and slender 

 trunk; by the leaf blade being deeply parted into long and narrow segments, 

 filamentose at apex, minutely powdery-waxy on the lower surface, and very 

 sparingly sprinkled with almost rudimentary punctiform microlepidia ; by the 

 rather large, much branched panicle; by the oblong blunt flowers, having the 

 calyx distinctly rimmed, and the segments of the corolla strongly striate-pluricos- 

 tulate; by the globose rather small shiny fruit, carried on a rather conspicuous 

 pedicelliform, terete-ventricose, fruiting perianth. 



7. PRITCHARDIA AFFINIS Becc. sp. n. 



(Plates III, A, B; XXII, K) 



Suhelata. Folioruin lamina ufriiiqnc virentia nccsnbtus ccrco-pulverulenta, segmentorum 

 lacinii valde elongafis, apicibns tcniiissiinis flaccidis. Rainiili floriferi graciles, inter tlores zig-zag 

 sinuosi fructiferi rigidi, siibtonilosi, basi circiter j iiim. crassi, 8-12 mm. longi. Flores aciimi- 

 nati. (;-ii iniii. longi, calyce cyathiformi-campanulato coriacco, infcrnc iiitiis solido et snblig 

 noso, brci'iter s-dcntato, ad denies vcnoso ; corolla calyce siibdiiplo longiori, pctalis extiis Iiaud 

 profundc striatis. Fructus mcdiocris, niatnrus atro-violaceous, nitidus globosus vel basi paullo 

 attemiatns et globose sub-clavatus, 20-25 mm. longiis, 16-23 '"'"■ d'Oin.. Perianthinm fructiferum 

 pcdicelliforme, cylindraccum vel levissime campanulatiim. 



Description. Rather tall, approximately 10 m. ( — 25 m. in height with a 

 beautiful crown (Rock). Leaves large; the blade is deeply parted into numerous 

 segments and measures from the ligula to the apex about i m.; the mid-costae, 

 especially the lower ones, are clothed, at least in recently developed leaves, with 

 a dense, light-colored or pinkish soft wool. The segments are not very stiff; have 

 their upper part drooping; are very deeply parted into two long, finely acuminate 

 points, filamentous at the apex; both surfaces very finely striated by numerous 

 tertiary nerves, and the transverse veinlets rather sharp; the upper surface quite 

 glabrous; the lower slightly paler but not glaucescent nor powdery-waxy, and 

 distinctly dotted with numerous minute, yellowish, orbicular, or oblong, non- 

 f rino-ed lepidia. Between the segments is a long conspicuous filament ; the central 

 and largest segments are 4 cm. broad at their disjunction places. Spadiccs glabrous 

 in every part, apparently composed of one panicle only, carried on a rather robust 

 peduncular part; secondary branches radiately divided into 4-10 floriferous branch- 

 lets; the latter are 5-8 cm. long rather narrow, angular (at least when dry, and, 

 at the time of the anthesis, zigzag sinuous between the flowers; bracts at the base 

 of the pulvinuli very fine, deciduous. Flozvers (unopened) somewhat lanceolate in 

 outline, acute, or even acuminate, 9-1 1 mm. long, 4-4.5 mm. through; calyx 



