The Palms of British East India. 47 



I subjoin my own description of the leaves, and inflores- 

 cence :* — 



Petiole in the pinniferous part with the upper angle armed with 

 straight conical subulate prickles, the usual row of hooked ones 

 along the centre of the under face, and similar ones about the 

 margins often close to the pinnae ; towards the apex it only presents 

 the under central series. Pinna alternate, equidistant, linear lan- 

 ceolate, acuminate, ten- twelve inches long, seven- eight lines broad, 

 above with three carina? bearing long bristles, underneath with 

 shorter bristles along the mid vein ; margins setoso-serrulate. 



Spadix of considerable length. Branches just supra-axillary, very 

 flexuose, about a span distant ; spaces between covered, except per- 

 haps the lower two inches, by the tubular spathes, which are green, 

 armed toward the upper ends with scattered curved prickles. The 

 upper spathes appear to be the most armed. Naked parts of the spadix 

 also armed on one face with stout hooked aculei. The spathes (of 

 the spikes,) rather laxly sheathing, subtruncate, sprinkled with brown 

 scurf, margins ciliate. Spikes also supra- axillary, bi-farious, about two 

 inches long, recurved spreading, also scurfy. 



Flowers distichous on the outside, on the inside tetrastichous, 

 in pairs, the larger conical, sessile, female, the smaller ovate ob- 

 long, shortly stalked, male, always on the upper or posterior side 

 of the spike. Bractes like the spathes of the spikes, but less 

 ciliate. Bracteolce two, broad, the inner one on the inner side 

 is bicarinate and emarginate, and to the centre of the bicarinate 

 part the male flower corresponds, being adnate as it were to its 

 base. Calyx of the female thickened at its base, whence its conical 

 shape, of both sexes suburceolate with three short teeth, often 

 divided to the middle. Corolla slightly longer than the calyx, 

 divided below the middle into three erect, oblong, lanceolate seg- 

 ments. Stamina as usual adnate to the corolla, then mona- 

 delphous ; filaments (free) short ; anthers sagittate, of the female 

 flower effete. Ovarium as long as the corolla, oblong, rather atte- 

 nuate to the base where it is 3-celled, ovules erect. Style of three 



* From specimens communicated by Major Jenkins. 



