The Palm* of British East India. 485 



* Flores monoid. Stamina sex, 



91. (1) W. caryotoides > pinnis inferioribus 3-4-natim fasci- 

 culatis cuneatis panduriformi-lobatis apice ambitu triangula- 

 ribus, floribus faemineis distantibus tribracteatis, alabastris 

 rotundo-conicis, petalis tribus acutis erectis ovario subduplo 

 longioribus. 



W. caryotoides. Roxb. Corom. pi. 3. t. 295. Wrightea 

 caryotoides. Roxb. Icon. 14. t. 78. FL Ind. 3. p. 621. Harina 

 caryotoides. Ham. in Mem. Wern. Soc. p. 317. Mart. Palm. 

 p. 188, (excl. syn. Hamilt.) t. 136, (mal.) 



Habit. — Chittagong, where it is called Chilputta or Bel- 

 ptdla, (Roxb.) Cultivated in the H. C. Botanic Gardens. 



Descr. — An elegant tufted Palm, each tuft consisting of several very 

 short stems. Leaves ascending curved, 8 -9 feet long, 2 J feet broad, oblong 

 in outline ; petiole naked and roundish throughout the lower 4 feet, 

 among the pinnae bifacial on the upper side, sprinkled with brown and 

 rey scurf; pinnce lowermost in threes, sometimes fours, intermediate 

 in pairs, uppermost solitary, cuneate, 12-18 inches long, 6-7 broad, 

 coriaceous, with a deep notch corresponding on either side towards the 

 middle, and a shallower one at the apex on either side of the midvein : 

 the margins of these lobed, and erose : teeth close set, almost spinous ; 

 the terminal pi ana cuneate, bilobed at the apex, sides above the middle 

 lobed, and similarly erose-dentate. 



Male spadix not seen.* 



Female spadix terminal, shorter than the leaves, erect, or almost nod- 

 ding. Spathes closely imbricated, concealing the peduncle. Spikes 

 spreading, stout, marked under each flower with a distinct areola, with 

 animate points, bearing neuter flowers, which are cylindrical with 6 

 barren stamina and no Pistillum. 



Next to these occur some, nearly if not quite hermaphrodite, with ge- 

 nerally three full sized stamina, and a seemingly well developed Pistil- 

 lum. The other flowers are female, and are in bud roundish-conical. 

 Sepals three, short, rounded. Petals three, ovate- cordate, erect, acute, 



* Koxburgh's drawing represents the spadix terminal, nodding, the flower bear- 

 ing part pendulous. The spathes acuminate, not entirely appressed to the pedun- 

 cle, those next the floweis distichous, and rather shorter than the spikes, all being 

 of a grey-green tint. The leaves next the inflorescence have the pinnae almost 

 truncate, with one or two notches above the middle, the lowermost being in pairs. 



X 3 it 



