The Palms of British East India. 323 



Fruit as though stalked by the cylindrical tube of the calyx, 

 surrounded at the base by the perianth, oblong, red, one-seeded. 

 Seed ovate, intrant process curved towards the middle of the dorsum. 

 Albumen horny, on a transverse section horse- shoe- shaped. Embryo 

 about central. 



This species appears to vary a good deal ; it is not impro- 

 bable that two species lurk under this name. Some of my 

 Malacca specimens have the trunk armed with the hardened 

 bases of the petioles, slenderer spadices and considerably 

 smaller fruit. 



It approaches in the leaves to L. peltata, especially in the 

 division of the ends of the pinnae, but it is otherwise obvi- 

 ously distinct ; it is the only species I know that forms 

 tufts. Its nearest affinity is with L. paludosa. 



Rumph's figure* (Hb. Amb. 1. t. 9.) quoted for this ap- 

 pears to me to be a distinct species, particularly as regards 

 the spathes and the erect simple spikes. 



55. (2) L. paludosa t (n. sp.) trunco sub-laevi 8-12-pedali, 

 petiolis apice inermibus, lamina flabelliformi, pinnis 7-9, 

 lateralibus apice obliquis profunde et acute 3-4 lobis, lobis 

 bipartitis, reliquis truncatis lobis 4-5, (vel terminali 7-8) latis 

 brevibus bifidis, spadice foliorum circiter longitudine, ramis 

 spicas plures nutantes secundas gerentibus, floribus glabris 

 solitariis turbinatis, calyce cyathiformi integriusculo corolla 

 sub-duplo breviore, ovario depresso-turbinato. 



Hab. — Low sandy wet places along the sea-coast, about 

 Tanjong Cling, Koondoor, and Pulo Bissar, Malacca ; asso- 

 ciated with Pandanus, Eugenia, Diospyros, Helospora, etc. 

 In flower February, 1842. 



Descr. — Trunk 8-12 feet high, about 1J inch in diameter, un- 

 armed and almost without marks of annuli, except towards the apex 



* See Mart. Palm. p. 236. adnot. where the name L. Rumphii is proposed for 

 this species. 



