NEW OR NOTEWORTHY BORNEAN PLANTS. 157 
British North Borneo, near Sandakan, Ramos 1856, December, 
1920. In damp forests along small streams at low altitudes. A 
remarkably distinct species well characterized by its sessile or sub- 
sessile, numerous, oblong, simple, spikelet-like heads and its un- 
usually large, imbricate bracts, the glumes membranaceous and 
searcely extending beyond the uppermost bracts. It is the only 
species of the genus with which I am acquainted, in which the 
inflorescences are sessile or nearly so, while in this form they are, 
for the most part, confined to the caudex below the leaves, occurring 
singly in the axils of decayed leaves from the very base of the 
caudex. 
Mapania affinis sp. nov. § Halostemma. 
Caudex brevis, crassous, circiter 1.5 cm. diametro; follis 
numerosis, perspicue 3-nervils, usque ad 1.7 m. longis 3 vel 3.5 
em. latis, deorsum vix angustatis, apice subabrupte caudato-acumin- 
atis, acuminis serrulatis tenuibus 8 ad 5 cm. longis, margine et 
costa subtus in partibus superioribus minute serrulatis; scapis 
paucis, glabris, sub anthesin circiter 5 cm. longis, sub fructu usque 
ad 14 cm. longis, partibus inferioribus (ca. 5 cm.) bracteis numerosis 
imbricatis instructis; capitulis sub anthesin circiter 2 cm. longis, 
- bracteis capitulum aequantibus, sub fructu 5 vel 6 cm. diametro; 
spiculis circiter 18, ovoideis, 2.5 cm. longis, liberis; acheniis nigris, 
osseis, oblongo-ovoideis, 4 mm. longis, breviter acuminatis. 
Caudiex short, stout, about 1.5 cm. ‘in diameter. Leaves 
numerous, prominently 3- nerved, WO UO isi ain, Iewme, 6. wo sea) Cray 
wide, scarcely narrowed below, the basal portions folded and usuaily 
straw-colored, the apex subabruptly caudate-acuminate, the acuinen 
slender, serrulate, 3 to 5 em. long, the margins and midrib on the 
lower surface in the upper part of the leaf minutely serrulate. 
Scapes few, glabrous, terete,in anthesis about 5 cm.long,in fruit up 
to 14 em. long, somewhat thickened upward and 3 to 4mm. in dia- 
meter, the basal 5 cm. supplied with numerous imbricate bracts, 
the lower ones close, broadly ovate, about 1 cm. long, the upper ones 
gradually longer, the uppermost cblong-ovate, acute up to 3.5 cm. 
long. Heads in anthesis about 2 cm. long, oblong-ovoid, the outer 
bracts as long as the head, about 12 mm. wide, elliptic-ovate, acute, 
somewhat keeled, the apical portions sparmegly appressed-pubescent ; 
heads in fruit 5 to 6 cm. in diameter,, composed of numerous (15 
to 18) ovoid, large, free spikes up to 2.5 cm. long. Achénes 
numerous, black, bony, oblong-ovoid, terete or irregularly com- 
pressed, about 4 mm. long, shortly acuminate. 
British North Borneo, near Sandakan, Ramos 7596, November, 
In damp forests at low altitudes. The same species is represented 
by Clemens 9330, collected at Jolo, Sulu Archipelago, October 15, 
growing on forested slopes at an altitude of about 800 m. A ae 
pelonging in the general alhance with Japania palustris F.- Vill. 
but differing radically im its mature fruiting heads which are much 
larger than in the latter species, the individual spikes or partial 
RR. A. Soc., No. 85, 1922. 
