Beccari and Rock — Pritchardia. 75 



in "Webbia." (1907) that, as I have not been able to discover anv special char- 

 acter bv which Colpotlirinax could be genericallv separated from the Polynesian 

 species of Pritchardia. I have been obliged to reduce it to the latter. I may add 

 that P. IJ'rigJifii so much resembles its Polynesian parents, even to the peculiar 

 clothing of the lower surface of the leaf-blade, as to leave no doubt of the common 

 origin. This is, I think, one of the most important facts of the geographical 

 distribution of palms. 



The principal character that distinguishes Pr. JJ'riglitii from its Poly- 

 nesian relatives consists in its tleshy flowers ; moreover, the spadices have the 

 panicles enveloped by two large spathes only ; the seed has the thickening of the 

 integument on the raphe side rather pronounced; the surface of the seed is not 

 marked by visible vascular branches, and the embryo is somewhat remotely placed 

 from the base, or almost in the middle of the raphe side. 



In the Polynesian Pritchardias the flowers are always of a very hard, 

 nearly woody structure; the spadices have the panicles enwrapped by several 

 imbricating spathes; the thickening of the integument is very slight; the embryo 

 is placed very near to the hilum; and the raphe has on each side 1-3 distinct 

 vascular branches. (In Pritchardia montis-kea Rock the embryo is 10 mm. distant 

 from the hilum while in all other Polynesian species the embryo is immediately 

 above the hilum. — J. F. Rock.) 



31. PRITCHARDIA KAHANAE Rock et Caum sp. n.' 



Description. — Trunk 1.5-2 m high, 15 cm. in diameter, decidedly bulbous 

 at the base, 25 cm. in diameter (E. L. Caumj. Leaves very rigid, robust; the 

 blade 85 cm. long from the apex of the ligule, segments 52, divided for 35 cm. 

 (median segment), 5.5 cm. in width at their disjunction places; petiole 82 cm. 

 long, 12. 5-13 cm. wide at the base, 4.5 cm. wide at the ligule, dark green on the 

 vipper surface, covered denselv below with silvery confluent lepidia; ligule low 

 crescent-shaped. Spadix simple, about 43 cm. long, including the 12 cm. long 

 panicle, the latter glabrous in flower and in fruit; floriferous branchlets simple, 

 onlv the lower divided: floAvers urceolate, reminding one of those of Pr. Montis- 

 Kea. conical, broad at the base (5 mm. in diameter), constricted at the apex, 

 glossy, smooth and puberulous, indistinctly striate near the bluntish teeth; staminal 

 cup protruding one-third the length of the calyx; the filaments short and not 

 spreading. Petals as long as the calyx. Fruit subglobose to globose, black and 

 shining at maturity, about 4 cm. in diameter, rounded at both ends ; exocarp thin, 

 the finely fibrous branched mesocarp 4 mm. thick, endocarp thin, less than i mm. 

 thick. Seed ovoid, acute at the apex, the embryo immediately above the hilum. 

 Fruiting perianth callous, the remains of the staminal cup spreading. 



° Specimens of X^os. 31 and 32 were shown to Professor Rock wliile be was in HonoKilu for a few 

 days (.Ti his way from the Orient to Washington. As the monograph was already in press, the author 

 considered it unwise to delay publication indefinitely in order to obtain photographs or to study field rela- 

 tions — Ed. 



