234 
BECCARI. 
feeble but very unequal spines, some of them having a swollen and broad 
base and a slender 2-4 cm. long, flat, laminar, elastic, dark brown, some- 
times laciniate blade ; of this kind some are solitary and others confluent 
or comb-like; intermingled with the large spines are many other very 
small, bristle-like, scattered ones unequal, and insident on a tubercled 
base. Leaves very large, in one specimen 3.2 m. long in the pinniferous 
part, which is regularly armed at intervals of about 10 cm., with half 
whorls of extraordinarily strong black claws; the petiole is very robust, 
25 cm. long, 3 cm. broad at its base, where it is densely prickly on the 
back and on the margins, flattish and smooth above; rachis at first with 
a flat surface above, which is bordered on either side with a prickly ridge 
gradually becoming narrower and the ridges closer together until they 
unite to form a salient smooth angle; underneath the rachis is armed at 
first with solitary, and upwards with 2-5-nate rather remote, extraordi- 
narily robust, black claws. Leaflets very numerous, equidistant, 3—3.5 
cm. apart, narrowly lanceolate-ensiform, papyraceous, green on both sur- 
faces, slightly paler beneath, slightly narrowing towards the base, very 
gradually and long-acuminate to a subulate and at the sides bristly tip, 
faintly 3-costulate, with the mid-costa very remotely and sparingly bristly 
only near the summit, the side-costae are tenuous and bear very few, 
very long, spadiceous bristles ; underneath the mid-costa alone is sparingly 
bristly; the margins are not very closely ciliate with short bristles; 
transverse veinlets not very conspicuous; the largest leaflets, the interme- 
diate ones, 40 cm. long, 25-28 mm. broad ; the upper and lower ones 
somewhat smaller. Male spadix Female spadix 2.5 m. long, 
forming a large elongate pyramidate panicle, 'which terminates in a small 
and short tail-like prickly appendix and is composed of many partial 
inflorescences; primary spathes tubular, thinly coriaceous, rather closely 
sheathing, slightly enlarged above, strongly armed with straight, very 
short, or 10-12 mm. long, blackish, horizontal or slightly deflexed spines, 
prolonged at the summit into a triangular subulate point, usually split 
on the ventral side, glabrous at the mouth; partial inflorescences fur- 
nished with a long peduncular part and inserted far inside their respective 
spathes, arched downwards; the lower ones, the largest, 50 cm. long, 
with 14-15 spikelets on either side; the others gradually shorter and 
with .fewer spikelets; secondary spathes tubular, closely sheathing, very 
slightly infundibular, usually longitudinally split, otherwise truncate and 
entire at the mouth, produced at the summit into a broadly triangular 
point, armed with many small slender scattered, solitary, horizontal 
spinules. Spikelets 7—8 cm. long, with a distinct slender pedicular part, 
which is inserted at the bottom of their respective spathes, arched down- 
wards, with 20-22 flowers on each side; the upper spikelets shorter and 
with fewer flowers; spathes infundibuliform, exactly truncate and entire 
at the mouth, slightly apiculate on the outer side, glabrous and nonstriate ; 
