452 The Palms of British East India. 



Descr * — Shrubby, throwing out offsets at the base. Stem 5-7 feet 

 high, green, distinctly annulate, f-1 inch in diameter. Leaves 4-5 feet 

 long, pinnce alternate, linear ensiform, 13-16 inches long, 1J-2 inches 

 broad, often falcate, much and obliquely acuminated, above 1-3-keeled 

 according to the breadth which is variable, bright green, upper ones more 

 or less split at the apex : terminal broadly cuneate, deeply bipartite, 

 forked, lobes truncate, divided into as many narrow, bidentate lobes as 

 there are keels on the under surface. 



Spathe green, smooth, with a short blunt point, about a foot long, 

 (Roxb.), in the Botanic Garden specimens generally 4-6 inches long, 2 

 broad : texture leathery. Spadix highly divided ; peduncle and branches 

 compressed ; at the base of the lowermost branch a linear bracte \ inch 

 long; branches spreading, ascending, much divided; secondary divisions 

 stoutish towards the base, where they bear a female flower, close to 

 which they branch into 2 slender flexuose spikes, (on which the male 

 flowers are seated,) or more frequently are attenuated into one. 



Male flowers angular, small, cream-coloured, in pairs pressed together 

 and secund on the outer side of the spikes. Sepals 3, minute, ovate- 

 oblong, unequal. Petals oblong, obtuse, valvate, 3-4 times longer than 

 the sepals. Stamens 3, opposite the sepals ; filaments stout, short, 

 united at the base ; anthers sagittate. Rudiment of the Pistillum conical 

 subulate. 



Female flowers rather large, generally between a pair of rudimentary 

 males, suffulted by 2 broad, short, pointed bractes. Sepals roundish, green. 

 Petals similar, but smaller and less tough. Six very small rudimentary 

 stamina. Ovarium ovate, 1 -celled, white. Ovulum 1, ascending. Style 0. 

 Stigma of 2, or generally 3, erect, unequal, acute lobes. 



Fruit oblong, of the form of an olive, but longer, distinctly mammil- 

 late, smooth, when ripe of a lively orange, at length becoming red. Pulp 

 in small quantity, and mixed with many longitudinal strong, ligneous 

 fibres. Seed conform. Albumen much ruminated. Embryo basilar. 



72. (3) A. lacca, arborea, trunco saepius incurvo nunquam 

 stricto, foliis pinnatis, pinnis lanceolatis acutis integerrimis 

 sequidistantibus, spatha 1-phylla, staminibus 3, rudimento 

 pistilli nullo. 



* From plants in the H. C. Botanic Gardens, fruit from Roxburgh and from 

 Martius' figure. 



