The Palms of British East India, 99 



Descr.* — Spathes of the peduncle with erect oblong-lanceolate 

 limbs. Flower-bearing branches 1-2 feet long, secund, pendulous. 

 Spathes at base half amplectent, rather distant, distichous, laxly- 

 imbricated ; outline obovate, towards the apex broadly obcuneate, 

 margins below this part incurved, (so that they are very concave,) 

 two or three times longer than the spaces between them. Spikes 

 concealed by the spathes, two or three times shorter than them, as 

 usual furfuraceous, 3-7 flowered. 



Flowers distichous, large. Calyx flat, small, divided almost to 

 the base into three triangular mucronate smooth teeth. Corolla di- 

 vided almost to the base into three ascending, lanceolate, acuminate 

 segments, four to four and a half lines long. Stamina six, with very 

 broad, flattened, short filaments, and small effete anthers. Ovarium 

 broadly globose, covered with exceedingly numerous, shortish, very 

 fimbriate scales with multifid points, 3 -celled. Style very short, 

 stout, with three stout, subulate, spreading branches as long as 

 the petals, channelled and stigmatic on their inner faces. 



Spathes of the fruit- bearing spadices spreading, rarely perfect, 

 generally much lacerated or deficient. Fruit surrounded at the base 

 by the calyx, and corolla now flattened out, apex attenuated into 

 the style; rostrato-apiculate, otherwise round, about one inch in 

 diameter, dark brown; scales very numerous, rather small, either 

 nearly smooth, or with ciliate margins and recurved split fimbriate 

 points ; when not much rubbed it has a woolly appearance. Seed 

 covered with a rather thick, brown, cellular spongy substance. Al- 

 bumen solid, horny, of cells radiating from the centre. Embryo 

 of the ordinary shape, basilar. 



This would appear nearly allied to the preceding from 

 which it differs in the smaller spathes, the very small calyx 

 with minute triangular teeth, the broader petals, the brown, 

 not rust-coloured fruit, which is smaller, and not by any 

 means so villous, the points of the scales being less fimbriate 

 and often deciduous. 



* Specimens of a female spadix in flower, and part of a spadix in fruit ; the 

 latter found among the collections here, without any note of its locality. 



