66 The Palms of British East India. 



Fruit bearing spadix nodding ? nearly two feet long, without 

 spathes, with two or three annular scars beneath that of the lowest 

 branch ; peduncle short, armed : branches several, spreading, upper 

 ones simple, lowermost branched, naked at the base. Spikes short, 

 stout, flexuose, a squamiform bracte and two annular bracteoles un- 

 der each fruit. 



These are ovate-round, on short, stout, stalks, surrounded at the 

 base by the calyx, and the spreading or re volute linear- lanceolate 

 petals, tipped at the point by the remains of the style. Scales with a 

 narrow deep longitudinal furrow, naturally whitish, but incrusted with 

 a rich blackish-red secretion, the best Dragon's Blood of commerce. 

 Seed generally one, sometimes two, in which case they are nearly 

 hemispherical. Albumen much ruminate. Embryo basilar. 



I subjoin Roxburgh's description of this plant. 



" Trunk while the plants are young, erect, and then resembling an 

 elegant, slender palm tree, armed with innumerable dark coloured, 

 flattened, elastic spines, often disposed in oblique rows, with their 

 bases united. By age they become scandent, and overrun trees to 

 a great extent. Leaves pinnate, their sheaths and petioles armed as 

 above described. Leaflets single, alternate, ensiform, margins re- 

 motely armed with stiff, slender bristles, as are also the nerves ; 

 from twelve to eighteen inches long and about three quarters of an 

 inch broad. Spadix of the female hermaphrodite inserted by means 

 of a short armed petiole on the mouth of the sheath opposite to the 

 leaf, oblong, decompound, resembling a common oblong panicle. 

 Spathes several, one to each of the four or five primary ramifications 

 of the spadix, lanceolate, leathery ; all smooth except the exterior or 

 lower one which is armed on the outside. Calyx of the female or ra- 

 ther female hermaprodite. Perianth turbinate, ribbed ; mouth three- 

 toothed, by the swelling of the germ it splits into three portions, 

 and in this manner may be seen adhering with the corol to the ripe 

 berries. Corol three-cleft ; divisions ovate-lanceolate, twice as long 

 as the calyx, permanent. Filaments six, very broad, and inserted 

 into the base of the corol. Anthers filiform, and seemingly abortive. 

 Germ, above, oval. Styles short. Stigma three-cleft ; divisions re- 



