The Palms of British East India. 351 



The most common Palm of India. Buchanan Hamilton. 

 Beng. Khujjoor ; Sansc. Khurjura ; Teling. Pedda eita. 



Descr. — A very handsome palm, often when uninjured by ex- 

 tracting toddy, 35-40 feet in height. Trunk rough from the persis- 

 tent bases of the petioles. Crown about hemisphserical, very large and 

 thick. Leaves 10-15 feet long. Petiole compressed only towards the 

 apex ; at the base bearing a few channelled triangular short spines. 

 Pinnce very numerous, densely fascicled, glaucous, rigid, ensiforin, 18 

 inches long, 1 inch 3 lines wide, conduplicate at the base, then cana- 

 liculate, subulato-acuminate, almost spinous pointed, 4 farious, some 

 intermediately spreading, others crossing these above and below in 

 an ascending direction. Male spadix 2-3 feet long : peduncle high- 

 ly compressed. Spathes of about the same length, very coriaceous, 

 almost woody, covered with brown scurf, separating into two boat- 

 shaped valves. Spikes, exceedingly numerous towards the apex of 

 the peduncle, and chiefly on its anterior face, generally in fascicles 

 and simple, 4-6 inches long, slender, very flexuose. Flowers 3 lines 

 long, very numerous, angular, oblique. Calyx cup-shaped, with 

 three short rounded teeth. Petals 3-4 times longer than the calyx, 

 concave, warty on the outside, on the inside deeply ridged and fur- 

 rowed. Filaments (free,) scarcely any. Anthers linear, adnate. a 

 little shorter than the petals. 



Female spadix much the same, as are the spathes. Spikes inserted 

 in distinct groups, 1-1^ foot long, not bearing flowers throughout the 

 lower 4-6 inches, flexuose. Flowers distant, roundish. Calyx cup- 

 shaped, obsoletely three-toothed. Petals 3, very broad, much con- 

 volute-imbricate, leaving a small opening at the apex. Barren sta- 

 mina 3-4. Ovaria, three ; ovules solitary. Style recurved, inwardly 

 papillose. 



Spadix of the fruit 3-feet long, nodding at the apex from the 

 weight of the fruit, very compressed, of a golden orange colour. Fruit 

 scattered on long pendulous nodding similarly coloured spikes, with 

 brown orange swollen bases, oblong, very obtuse, 14 inches long, 

 7-8 lines wide, with an oblique mark of the base of the style, sur- 

 rounded at the base by the perianth. Pulp yellow, moderate, very 

 astringent, lined by irregular cellular white tissue, part of this ad- 



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