64G OX. PALMiE [Plimnix 



vascular bundles. L. 2-6 ft. long, leaflets stiff, fascicled, tlie base thickened 

 and decurrent, 10-20 in. long, |-| in. wide, spines 2-6 in. long. ^Fruiting 

 peduncle short, generally concealed among the 1. Tr. \-\ in. long, edible, 

 blackish when ripe. 



Subhimalayan tract from tlie Jumna eastwards, common in grasslands and in 

 forests of Sal and Pinus JongifoUa. Chutia Nagpur, Behar. Sal forests of the Satpura 

 hills. Common in the Eng. forests and grasslands of Upper and Lower Burma. PL 

 0. S. Dehra Dun, H. S. Burma. 



B. Leaflets nearly bifarious, not distinctly fascicled. 



8. P. rupicola, T. And. Sikkim, on steep cliffs near the Tista and Mahanadi rivers. 

 (Schiap, Lepcha). Trunk 12-20 ft. higb, 8-10 in. diam. L. up to 10 ft. long, spiral 

 twist very marked, leaflets 18 by ^-1 in., not stiff, bifarious, alternate or nearly oppo- 

 site, transverse vemlets faintly visible in the green leaf. Fruiting peduncle 3-4 ft., 

 fr. shining, yellow, astringent but eaten. Seed ^-f in. long. 9. P. paludosa, Boxb. ; 

 G-riff. Palms t, 229B. Common in the tidal forests of Bengal, the Andamans, and 

 Burma.—Malay Penins. Siam and Cochin China. Gregarious, stem tufted, slender, 

 2-3 in. diam., 6-20 ft. long, upper i^ortion densely covered with the long pointed leaf- 

 bases, lower portion clear and annulate. L. 4-10 ft., leaflets 12-18 in. long, glaucous 

 beneath, flexiblCf bifarious, fine nerves very distinct, ? fl. with 6 staminodes. 

 Fruiting peduncle long, spathe scurfy outside. Pr. ^ in. long, black wdien ripe, 

 emhryo at the base of the albumen. 



10. P. Rcebelenii, O'Brien. Siam, abundant on the rocky banks of the river Mekong, may 

 possibly be found in Upper Burma. Stem tufted, 4 ft. high, slender, almost annulate, 

 leaf-bases deciduous. L. 2-3 ft. long, rachis thin, leaflets bifarious, in^the lower por- 

 tion irregularly grouped, thin, 8 by i-J in. 



11. Mr. G-ilbert E-ogers informs me that a species similar to 8 forms forests on 

 Cinque Island, Andamans, and is also found on the north-east corner of Rutland island. 

 Stem single, not annulate. 1. bifarious, base of petiole with much dark brown fibre. 

 Spadix and fr. orange. He thinks that this may possibly be the Phoenix mentioned 

 by Kurz in ^' Eeport on the Andaman Islands, 1870," 50. 



2. ARECA, Linn. ; M. Brit. Ind. vi. 405. 



Stem erect, smooth, green in the upper portion, annulate, 1. pinnate, base of 

 petiole expanding into a smooth green amplexicaul sheath, leaflets thin, 

 often confluent, with several midribs, attached to the rachis in a vertical 

 line. Spadix androgynous, below the L, branched, bearing numerous close-set 

 spikes, spathes several, ^ fl. many, minute, occupying the upper portion of 

 the spikes, petals much longer than calyx, stamens 3 or 6, filaments short. 

 S fl. larger, few at the base of spikes, sepals and petals broad, imbricate. 

 Carpels connate into a one-celled ovary, stigmas 3 sessile, ovule 1 basal, erect. 

 Fr. ovoid or oblong, supported by the persistent perianth, mesocarp fibrous. 

 Seed with a truncate base, endosperm deeply ruminate, embryo basal. 

 Species 24, tropical Asia and Australia. 



1. A. Cateclm, Linn. ; Hoxb. Cor. PL t. 75. The Areca Palm. Sans. Guvaka. Vern. 

 Supari, Hind. •, Gua, Beng. ; Poka, Tel. ; Adike^ Kan. ; Kun, Burm. 



Cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions of India and Burma, in gardens 

 and orchards on the "West Coast and in North Bengal ; in extensive woods, usually 

 Irrigated, in the Martaban hills between the Sitang and Salween. A graceful, single- 

 stemmed palm, attains 100 ft., diam. 6-9 in., 1. 4-6 ft. long. Leaflets quite glabrous, 

 with one or several midribs, upper confluent. Lowest spathe large, glabrous, pale 

 sfcraw-ooloured, parallel veined. Stamens 6. I^r. lJ-2 in. long, fleshy-fibrous, sup- 

 ported by the persistent perianth, orange or scarlet, seed in the upper half of fr. The 

 seeds (Betel nuts) are an important article of trade, the spathes are used to write 

 upon, to wrap up parcels, and as covering leaf of cheroots in Burma. 



2. A. triandra, Eoxb. Yern. BangUa^ Beng. ; Tawkun, Burm. Khasi hills. Cachar. 

 Chittagong. Andamans. Martaban. Tenasserim. — Malay Penins. and Arohip. Stems 

 usually in tufts of 4-€, 12-25 ft. high, 1-3 in. diam. Stamens 3. Fruiting spadix 

 large, much branched, spreading or erect, spikes terminating in long deciduous fringes, 

 the seat of the fallen ^ fl., fr. few at the base of the spikes, ellipsoid, | in. long. 3. A. 

 magensis, Griff. ISTaga hills. Yern. Tatpat^ Naga. Similar to 2, but larger, attaining 

 40 ft., fr. elongated, 1 in. long, used by the jSTagas instead of Betel nut. 



