The Palms of British East India. 95 



the upper ones only extended into flagelli ; below the pinnae sub -cylin- 

 drical, armed in the lower 2 feet here and there with oblique nearly 

 complete series of ascending short flat subulate thorns becoming 

 gradually fewer upwards ; 4 feet from the base quite unarmed ; as 

 it is also among the pinnae, where it is convex below, angular or bifa- 

 cial above. Pinnce as in the preceding. 



Inflorescence the same as in the preceding, but the spadices and the 

 spikes are more tomentose, much longer, and the lowest spathe reaches 

 to the axilla. Flowers much the same, but the calyx is cylindric- 

 oblong with three acute teeth, the cup also has three acute teeth. 

 Corolla divided nearly to the base, twice the length of the calyx. 



PLECTOCOMIA. 



Mart, et Blume in Syst. Veg. ed. Schultes. 7. pt. 2. p. 

 1333. Mart. Palmce. p. 199. t. 114. 116,/. 1 Endl. Gen. PL 

 p. 249. No. 1738. 



Char. Gen. — Spicce (vel racemi) filiformes (paniculatae). 

 Flores dioici, masculi bractea et bracteolis duabus (interdum 

 obsoletis setiformibus) sufFulti. Stamina 6. Ovarium squa- 

 mis obtectum. Fructus exsuccus, 1-3-spermus, squamis re- 

 trorsis loricatum. Albumen aequabile. Embryo basilaris. 



Habitus — Palmae perennes, scandentes, habitu omnino Ca- 

 lami. Petioli inflagellos extensi. Pedunculus spadicis spathis 

 imbricantibus omnino vestitus ; rami florigeri caudiformes 

 subfastigiati, secundi, penduli, spathis subdistichis persis- 

 tentibus arete imbricati, Spicae in sinubus spatharum ab- 

 sconditce. Ovarium squamis ( ciliatis Jimbriatisve apice laci- 

 niatis) tectum. Stylus tripartitus, ramis subulatis. Fructus 

 globosi. 



Genus a Calamo inflorescentia praesertim distinguendum. 

 Discrepat etiam bracteis bracteolisque setaceis, fructus squa- 

 mis fimbriatis apice productis, (qua nota ad Zalaccas quasdam 

 accedit,) et albumine omnino aequabili. 



