Trachycarpus] OX. PALM^ 657 



ventrally grooved, endosperm uniform, embryo dorsal. Species 2 or 3, Hima- 

 laya, China, and Japan. 



1. T. Martiana, H. Wendl.— Syn. T. Jchasiana, H. 'WenclL ; Bot. Mag. t. 7128; 

 Chammrops Martiana^ Wall. PL As. Rar. t. '211 ; Ch. Khasyana^ GrriiE Palms t. 227 

 A. B. Vern. Jhangra^ Jhaggar, Tal, Takil^ Kumaon ; Pakha^ Ass. Central Himalaya, 

 Kumaon and Nepal, 5-8,000 ft. Kliasi hills. Manipur, 6,000 ft. Kacihin hills,* Upper 

 Burma. Forests of Pinus Khasya, Martaban hills, 4-6,500 ft. (Kurz). Trunk slender , 

 attaining 50 ft., but often stunted, obscurely annulate. Pet. 3 ft. long, tbe lower 

 sheathing portion separates into brown tough fibres, forming a close network of rhom- 

 boid meshes, the upper portion half round, the edges slightly denticulate. Blade 

 orbicular, segments 30-40, hnear, 15-20 in. long, connate to one-third or one-half 

 their length. Spadix stout, drooping, clothed with dark rust-coloured down, branches 

 stout, in the axils of large coriaceous sheathing bracts. Petals ovate, concave, whitish, 

 iilaments longer than anthers. Ovary and the rudiment of ovary in 6 fi. hairy. 

 Drupe one, oblong, yellow at first, dark glossy blue when ripe. Beccari regards the 

 Kumaon tree as distinct and describes it as T. Takil inWebbia 52, fr. reniform, similar 

 to T.excelsa. 2. T. excelsa, H. Wendl. — Syn. Qhammrojps Fortunei, Hook, in Bot. Mag. t. 

 5221. Upper Burma. — China, Japan. Trunk mostly clothed with old leaf-sheaths, fl. 

 2-4 clustered on tubercles. Pr. reniform, hollowed on one side. 



17. BORASSUS, Linn.; Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 48L 



B. flabellifer, Linn, (the only species). The Palmyra. -Sjn, B.flabelli- 

 formis^ Eoxb. Cor. PL t. 71, 72. Sans. Trinardja. Vern. Tal^ Tar^ Hind. ; 

 Tad^ Tamar, Mar. Potti Tddi, the male ; ' Penti tadi^ the female tree, 

 Telugu : Tan^ Burm. Trunk attains 100 ft. and 2 ft. diam. near the ground, 

 with a dense mass of long rootlets ; while young covered with dry 1, or the 

 base of petioles, old stems marked with the black narrow scars of the petioles. 

 L. 3-5 ft. diam., segments 60-80, shining, folded along the midrib, linear- 

 lanceolate, pet. 2-4 ft. long, semiterete, edges with hard horny spinescent 

 serratures. El. dioecious, spadix simply branched, sheathed with numerous 

 open spathes, ^ spikes 1-3 at the ends of branches, eylindric, densely clothed 

 with thick closely imbricating bracts, numerous minute unilateral spikelets 

 concealed by these bracts, so as to appear immersed in the spike, the fl. coming 

 to the surface one by one, as they successively open, stamens 6, filaments 

 connate with the corolla into a stalk. J spikes terminating the branches of 

 spadix, fl. globose, 1 in. diam., sepals imbricate, petals convolute, ovary 

 3-4--celled. Fr. subglobose, 6 in. diam., enclosed by the enlarged and partly 

 fleshy perianth. Pyrenes 1-3, obcordate, fibrous outside, endosperm horny, 

 hollow. 



A native of tropical Africa. Cultivated and self-sown throughout India and Burma, 

 as far north as Lat. 30*^. The leaves are used for writing upon, the cut fi. stalks yield 

 sugar and toddy, the fr. is roasted and eaten. Fl. March, April. 



18. CORYPHA, Linn. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 428. 



Tall, monocarpic, dying after ripening their seed, at the age between 17 

 and 40 years. L. very large, orbicular or lunate, flabellately multifid, 

 segments folded lengthwise, pet. stout concave, spinous at the edges. Spadix 

 terminal, erect, paniculate. Fl. bisexual, small, calyx 3-fid, petals 3, connate 

 at base, stamens 6, filaments subulate, anthers dorsifixed, ovary 3-lobed. Fe 

 usually one globose drupe |~1| in. diam., with 2 abortive carpels at the base. 

 Seed erect, embryo at the summit of the uniform hard horny endosperm. 

 Species 6, tropical Asia. 



1. C. umtoraculifera, Linn. The Talipot palm. Sans. Tali. "Vern. Tara, Tarit, 

 Beng. ; Tali, BhriAali, Kan. Indigenous on the Andamans and in the moist forests of 

 the Kumta and Honavar talukas of North Kanara, covering extensive areas near 

 Gairsoppa and Yena, Talbot List, ed. ii. 343. Not wild in Travancore. Cultivated 

 in tropical India, Ceylon and Burma. Trunk annulate, attains 80 ft. and 2 J ft. diam., 

 pet. stout, 5-10 ft. long, shortly bifid at the base, blade 8-16 ft. diam,, cleft to about the 

 middle into 80-100 linear segments up to 6 in. broad. Spadix pyramidal, 10-20 ft. 



TJ IT 



