The Palms of British East India. 447 



Sub-family.— ARECIN^E. 



Flowers mono-dioicous or polygamous. Spathes several incomplete, or one or 

 two complete, very rarely none. Stamina 3-00, hypogynous. Female perianth 

 convoluto-imbricate, rarely valvate. Ovary 1-3-celled. Ovula 1-3. Fruit berried 

 or slightly drupaceous, 3-celled, deeply 3-lobed, or generally by abortion 1 -celled. 

 Seeds 3 or generally 1. Albumen horny, ruminate or equal. Embryo generally 

 basilar. 



Shrubby or arboreous palms, perennial, or flowering only once. Leaves pin- 

 nate, rarely bipinnate. Inflorescence axillary and terminal, centripetal or centri- 

 fugal. 



Sect. I. 



Leaves pinnately' split or pinnate. Spathe (1 or 2) complete, in one incom- 

 plete. Female perianth convoluto-imbricate. Fruit often oblique. 



Spathes 1-2, complete. Flowers monoecious on 

 the same spadix. Stamina 3-00. Ovarium 1-3 

 celled. Fruit drupaceous, in some an oblique 

 berry. Leaves pinnately split or pinnate, ., Areca. 



Spathes 2, inner one complete. Flowers monoeci- 

 ous on distinct spadices, their bases immersed in 

 niches. Stamina 6. Ovarium 3-celled. Berry? 

 exceedingly oblique. Albumen solid. Leaves 

 pinnate Bentinckia. 



Spathes 2, incomplete, sheathing. Flowers mo- 

 noecious on the same spadix, their bases im- 

 mersed in niches. Stamina 6, filaments united 

 at the base. Ovarium 3-celled. Fruit drupace- 

 ous, exceedingly oblique. Albumen ruminate. 

 Leaves pinnately split Slackia. 



Sect. II. 



Leaves pinnate or bipinnate, divisions jagged. Inflorescence centrifugal. 

 Spathes several incomplete, imbricate, sheathing. Female corolla valvate. 

 * Flowers monoecious on the same spadix. 

 Leaves bipinnate. Stamina 00. Ovarium 1-2- 

 celled. Berry 1 or 2-seeded. Albumen rumi- 

 nate Caryota. 



** Flower monoecious on different spadices, or dioecious. 

 Leaves pinnate ; pinnae linear, 1-2-auriculate at 

 the base. Stamina 00. Ovarium 3-celled. Berry 

 with a depressed triangular vertex, 3«seeded. 



Albumen equal .. Arenga. 



Leaves pinnate ; pinnae cuneate. Flowers some- 

 times dioecious. Stamina sometimes 6. Ovarium 

 2-celled. Berry 2-seeded. Albumen equal. .. Wallichia. 



