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Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 



hidden by the perianth ; the pericarp is somewhat wrinkled in the mature dry 

 fruit ; epicarp thin, membranous ; mesocarp apparently somewhat fleshy with 

 an internal fibrous layer ; this last, combined with the endocarp, forms a shell 

 or putamen to the seed, easily detachable from the pulpy tissue ; the putamen 

 is obovate, rounded above, acute at base, slightly flattened, keeled at each side, 

 9 mm. long, 6 mm. broad, 5 mm. thick; the outer covering of the putamen is 

 rendered coarsely reticulate by a few relatively large, looping, fibrous strands 

 adhering to the very thin cartilaginous endocarp. The seed is suborbicular, 

 broader at the base than above, slightly flattened or sublenticular, 6 mm. long, 

 5 mm. broad, 4.5 mm. thick; it has a smooth blackish surface; the hilura is 

 linear and is continued all round the edge of the seed in a narrow whitish line 

 (the raphe?); albumen homogeneous, finely radiate and also faintly ringed 

 by numerous minute concentric layers; embryo exactly basilar. (Fig. 146.) 



I have reduced to only one species the Calyptrogynes growing in Cuba, 

 Jamaica and S. Domingo, which have been considered as belonging to two 

 or three distinct species. The oldest name for this palm is Elaeis? occidentalis 

 Swartz, of which Grisebach made his Geonotm, or Calyptronoma swartzii; it 

 is this specific name which I propose to adopt, and which I consider as em- 

 bracing all the other (supposed) species. 



Of Geononia plumeriana Mart. I have seen in the Berlin Herbarium a 

 copy of Plumier's plate, upon which the species was founded, and in which it 

 is easy to recognize Calyplrogyne swartzii by its characteristic cylindrical, 

 elongate, flowering branchlets. The fruits are represented as globular, 14-15 

 mm. in diameter and, possibly, when the fruits are thoroughly mature they 

 do assume this form. In one of the plates the general appearance of the plant 

 is shown, from which it appears no larger than the plant of Cuba, but with 

 gregarious stems. 



Specimens from S. Domingo collected at S. Lorenzo, Samana Bay (Taylor 

 n. 97, Herb. Berol.) exactly agree with the Cuban specimens with large leaflets. 



From Jamaica I have examined Harris n. 9842 (Herb. Berol.), Farm 

 Morass near Black River. In these specimens some of the flowering branchlets 

 are larger than usual, as much as 30 cm. in length, and 1 cm. in diam. ; but 

 other branchlets are of the usual size. In the flowers I have not discovered 

 the slightest difference from those of the Cuban specimens. The very immature 

 fruits are obovate-oblong, 12-14 mm. in length. 



On number 3972 of Wright has been established G. intermedia, and under 

 this same name have been distributed Curtiss n. 485 from the Isla de Pinos. 

 Of number 3972 I have seen no specimens, and those of Curtiss are in no way 

 distinguishable from those of Wright's n. 1466; the leaflets are 70 cm. long, 

 3.7 cm. broad, and have 7-8 nerves, only the branchlets are somewhat shorter 

 than usual (12-15 cm. long). Furthermore I have not been able to discover 

 diagnostic characters of any value to render a specific differentiation possible 

 amongst the numerous specimens of Calyplrogyne gathered in different parts 

 of Cuba. I have found that the size of the leaflets and the number of their 

 nerves is very variable in specimens collected in the same region. I may 



