The Palms of British East India. 57 



supra carinis 3-5 setigeris, subtus setis paucis secus venam 

 mediam, apice ssepius obtusis vel bifidis, spadice aculeato 

 supra-decomposito, spathis primariis 1-carinatis secus cari- 

 nam spinis rectis longiusculis armatis cseterum crebre acu- 

 leatis secondares floccoso-ciliatis, corolla calycem duplo ex- 

 cedente, styli ramis lanceolatis. 



Hab. — Upper Assam, at the mouth of the Nao-Dihing 

 River, and towards Jorhauth. Both Major Jenkins and Mr. 

 Masters have also sent it to me, so that it appears to be 

 common. 



Descr.* — Sheaths armed with brown deflexed long piano -subulate 

 spines, solitary or in short series, otherwise thickly covered with so- 

 litary or seriate brown bristles. The base of the petiole appears si- 

 milarly armed, the spines being perhaps confined to the edges ; it is 

 in the pinniferous part convex-trigonal, the under face armed with 

 unequal curved deflexed very strong spines (the longest an inch 

 in length or more) also with short scattered prickles. Pinna 

 fasciculate, with or without solitary ones interspersed, linear-lan- 

 ceolate, 13-14 inches long, 11-12 lines broad, upper face with three 

 or even five carina? all bearing bristles, under face with a few bristles 

 on the midvein towards the apex ; margins with ascending stout 

 bristles ; apex obtuse, hispid, often bifid. 



Spadix rather long, probably nutant, where exposed plano-convex, 

 armed on convex face with hooked prickles. Spathes generally very 

 long, with short limbs, irregularly armed with slender straight 

 spines, and with many aculei. The lowest of the spathes sometimes 

 a foot long, bicarinate, one carina running up the centre of the limb ; 

 those next to it similarly 1-carinate ; carina in the uppermost obso- 

 lete. The longer spines are confined to the carinas. Branches dis- 

 tant, supra- decompound, lowermost deflexed, upper ascending, inter- 

 nodes concealed by spathes with truncate margins more or less ci- 



* A specimen of the upper part of an axis, with the lower part of the base of 

 the petioles, many specimens of portions of leaves, and male and female inflores- 

 cences, the latter before the expansion of the flowers. 



I 



