628 
BECCARI. 
mid-costa above, but beneath have the mid-costa closely bristly and the side 
nerves naked. In the Malayan forms the leaflets have long bristles on 3 nerves 
beneath, the mid-costa being smooth, while the mid-costa above is bristly. The 
female spikelets of this variety are also less distinctly zigzag-sinuous, the invo- 
lucre of the flower does not form so regular and deep a cup as in the type and the 
areola of the neuter flower is crescent-shaped and not roundish. Otherwise the 
similarity of the Philippine variety to the Malayan type is very evident. 
The male plant was collected by F. IF. Foxworthy in March, 1906, on Mount 
Victoria, Palawan, ( Bur. Sci. No. 756), and the female by Lolier, in Luzon, at 
Montalban, Province of Eizal, March, 1906, [No. 7 OJ/5 in Herb. Kew.). N. v. 
palimanac. 
The male specimen has a leaf 1.5 m long; the leaflets are numerous, 
equidistant, subtricostulate, the mid-costa is rather prominent, above 
bristly-spinulous near the apex, the side costae with long bristles; under- 
neath the mid : costa is furnished with bristles, and the side nerves are 
naked. The male spadix is, as in the species, extraordinarily long, and 
not essentially different from that of the Malayan type ; but the secondary 
and tertiary branches and the spikelets are inserted just at the mouth 
of their respective spathes, and these terminate in a broad, horizontal 
or deflexed point. The male flowers also are slightly smaller, more- ap- 
proximate, inserted at a wider angle, and therefore have the spathes 
shorter and less distinctly infundibuliform. 
In Loher’s (female) specimen the sheathed stem is 3 cm in diameter; 
the leaf -sheaths are strongly gibbous above, and densely armed with hori- 
zontal rows of confluent, triangular, laminate, black spines, which have a 
lighter-colored sharply defined base. An entire leaf has a petiolar part 15 
cm long, its total length being 1.18 m; the petiole has prickly margins ; the 
rachis is armed beneath with a line of single claws along the center, and 
with a similar line on each side. The leaflets are numerous, equidistant, 
almost equally green on both surfaces; the medials 30 to 35 cm long, 
16 to 18 mm broad, rather distinctly 3-costulate, their mid-costa on the 
upper surface is smooth, or has a few small spinules near the apex, the 
side costulae are slender, and also have a few straggling spinules; under- 
neath the mid-costa is rather closely bristled, and the side nerves are 
usually naked, but on these also a few setiform spinules may sometimes 
be observed. The spadix is 6 (!) meters long (in one specimen), includ- 
ing the slender, terminal, very minutely and closely clawed cirrus, simply 
decompound, with a few, very distant, partial inflorescences, exactly as in 
the type, but with the spathes more thickly set with prickles, the 
secondary and tertiary spathes are also set with minute prickles in their 
upper part; the spikelets are 15 to 18 cm long, very slightly zigzag- 
sinuous; with up to 15 or 16 flowers on each side; the involucre is 
slightly cupular; and the areola of the neuter flower is crescent-shaped, 
with sharp margins. The fruit is wanting. 
