The Palms of British East India, 53 



Male Spadix several feet long, ending in a long flagellus, aculeate 

 in the part not covered by the spathes. Lower spathes long, com- 

 pressed, almost two-edged, owing to a dorsal and ventral carina, the 

 former armed especially towards the apex with a few short subulate 

 spines ; upper without carinse armed with many aculei. Branches of 

 the spadix adnate to the peduncle as high as the mouths of the 

 spathes, thinly branched, slightly and distantly flexuose, upper half of 

 the internodes covered with spathes with small acute limbs. Branch- 

 lets bearing the spikes four or five inches long, generally slightly 

 scorpioid. 



Spikes very short not exceeding half an inch in length, scorpioid, 

 suffulted by broad short spathes, crowded with distichous flowers. 

 Each male flower is suffulted by a scale-shaped bracte, amplectent, 

 with comparatively very spreading oblong ovate limbs. Bracteolce 

 small, especially the inner one, not united into a cup ! Calyx broad, 

 angular, divided to the middle, segments half ovate, slightly keeled. 

 Corolla three times the length of the calyx, broad, angular in bud, 

 divided nearly to the base, segments oblong, spreading. Stamina six, 

 as usual united among themselves and to the base of the corolla. 

 Filaments (free) subulate, moderately long, anthers rather short, sa- 

 gittate. Rudiment of the Pistillum of three small bodies. 



I have not yet seen the female flowers or fruit. Accord- 

 ing to Roxburgh's figure they are very like those of his 

 C. Rotang, (C. Roxburghii,) the chief difference represented 

 being the greater length of the corolla in this species com- 

 pared with that of the calyx. The shape and colour of the 

 fruit is exactly the same. Roxburgh represents the albu- 

 men almost without ruminating processes, but with a con- 

 spicuous lateral foveola or umbilicus. 



This species is easily distinguished from all the others by 

 its habit, by the direction of the pinnae in which respect it 

 approaches to most Zalaccae, and by their spinous margins 

 and keels. The male spikes are shorter and broader than 

 in any other species I am acquainted with, and in the dis- 

 tinctness of the bracteolse it appears to be singular. 



