324 The Palms oj British East India. 



where they are incomplete. Crown moderate. Rete of rather 

 stout, rich brown fibres. Ligula linear, one inch long, gradually 

 attenuate towards the apex. Petiole \\-\\ foot long, subtrigonal, 

 armed along the margins, except towards the apex, with small, 

 black, horny, conical, curved teeth. Lamina flabelliform, rather 

 smaller than that of L. spinosa ; pinnce 8-10, cuneate, lateral ones 

 oblique at the apex, deeply and acutely 3-4 lobed, lobes bilobed 

 (except the side one3,) the others more or less truncate with 4, (or 

 as in the terminal 5-8,) broad, short, bifid lobes. 



Spadix about the same length as the leaves, rather curved. 

 Spathes tubular, green, with membranous or scarious lacerated 

 mouths. Branches of the spadix bearing 5-7 spikes, which are 

 4-6 inches long, curved, secund, generally nodding, slightly pube- 

 rulous, often appearing as if they arose separately from within the 

 mouth of the spathe. 



Flowers solitary, sessile, of a turbinate form, smaller than usual. 

 Calyx cup-shaped, half the length of the corolla, nearly entire, 

 irregularly split at the expansion of the flower. Corolla (in bud) ur- 

 ceolate, about one-third longer than the calyx, divided to the middle 

 into three, cordate ovate segments. Annulus of the stamina white, 

 nearly entire, projecting considerably above the faux of the corolla. 

 Filaments (free) short, setiform. Anthers versatile, oblong, pale brown. 

 Ovarium depressed, turbinate, with a horny sculptured vertex ; car- 

 pels adhering by the style. Ovula solitary, erect, anatropous. 

 Style subulate, rather shorter than the ovarium. Stigma simple. 

 Fruit not seen. 



This species approaches to L. spinosa, but is abundantly 

 distinct by its smooth stem, which does not look much like the 

 stem of a palm, and by the short smooth turbinate flowers. 



The tracts of country in which it is found, form one of 

 the peculiar marks of the Straits' Flora, and are highly con- 

 trasted with the muddy littoral tracts, which are covered as 

 usual with Mangrove jungle. 



56. (3) L. peltata, trunco robusto 3-4 pedali, petiolis per 

 totam longitudinem armatis, lamina orbiculari-peltata, pinnis 



