182 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XV, April 1961 
like swelling; stigma 2 mm. wide, narrow lunate, 
on the margin of the concavity, excentric; endo- 
carp slightly submedian, dark brown, bony, the 
outer wall 1.5 mm. thick; seed cavity 7 X 5.5 
mm.; apical mesocarp one large cavity; basal 
mesocarp fleshy and strongly fibrous; staminate 
inflorescence leafy bracts almost unarmed; tip of 
inflorescence 4.5 cm. long, lateral spikes 1.5- 
2.5 cm. long; staminal columns 4-7 mm. long, 
stout, antheriferous in upper third, bearing 
about 7 anthers, free filament tips 0.3-1. 3 mm. 
long; anthers 1.8-2 mm. long, 0.3 mm. wide, 
narrowly oblong, the base subsagittate, the apex 
apiculate. 
HOLOTYPUS: Western Australia, West Kim- 
berley, Fitzroy River, Aug. 1906, W. V. Fitz- 
gerald 2,395, fruiting specimen, (nsw). 
specimens examined: Western Australia, 
West Kimberley, mixed with the holotype, 
but a staminate inflorescence (NSW); Den- 
ham River, Oct. 1906, W . V. Fitzgerald 1,625 
( PERTH ) . 
discussion : The specimens here described as 
new have been identified as P. aquaticus F. 
Muell., which species was first published by von 
Mueller in 1856 as a provisional species. Later, 
in 1865, he accepted and validated it with a 
description which included no more than that 
the plants were small and slender, lacked aerial 
roots, and had separate drupes. Bentham re- 
ceived from von Mueller only leaves and a stami- 
nate inflorescence, so could not fully document 
the species. Warburg saw no more and con- 
sidered the species dubious. Martelli mentioned 
no specimens but listed the species. Blake 
(1954: 131) considered it to be the same as, 
and an earlier name for, P. de-Lestangii. The 
type locality of P. aquaticus was upper Victoria 
River, Northern Territory, and that of P. de- 
Lestangii Martelli was Burketown, n. w. Queens- 
land. Blake considered that there was only one 
such species in northern Australia, reduced P. 
de-Lestangii to synonymy, and accepted P. aqua- 
ticus as the correct name. The present writer 
found in the Melbourne herbarium P. aquaticus 
F. Muell., from upper Victoria River, Dec. 1955, 
F. v. Mueller. The specimen consists of only 
a single leaf. It seems to be the holotype or an 
isotype. The one at Kew is little better, and the 
description was inadequate. After much field 
experience, it is realized that numerous species 
may grow side by side, and that geographic 
proximity of collections is not enough basis for 
reducing taxa to synonymy in this genus. It 
seems better to concur with Bentham and with 
Warburg and to continue to place P. aquaticus 
F. Muell. with the imperfectly known species. 
P. de-Lestangii Martelli was adequately de- 
scribed and illustrated from fruiting material, 
and staminate material is also known. This 
species is known to occur from the Daly River, 
Northern Territory, to the Gregory River, 
northwest Queensland. Fitzgerald (1918: 110) 
treated this species as P. aquaticus in his check 
list. Besides the two localities from which spe- 
cimens were seen, he also gave the additional 
localities: Isdell, Charnley, and King River. 
P. de-Lestangii Martelli, of the section Micro - 
stigma, has drupes 3. 5-4.3 mm. long, stigmas 
apical, oblique, suborbicular, 1-3 in number; 
syncarp 10-13 cm. in diameter; leaves 4.5-8 cm. 
wide. P. kimherleyanus, of the same section, has 
drupes 2.5-2 .8 cm. long; stigma narrowly lunate, 
excentric on the margin of the apical concavity; 
and leaves 3.7 cm. wide. 
The new specific epithet is a geographic ad- 
jective, made from the name of the well-known 
Kimberley district where the plant occurs. 
Pandanus convexus sp. nov. (sect. Pandanus) 
Fig. 10 
diagnosis holotypi : Arbor 10 m. alms, 
phalangibus (unam vidi) 6.3 cm. longis 6.6 cm. 
latis 5.2 cm. crassis late cuneatis in basi trun- 
catis, lateribus planis levibus lucidis parte tertia 
superiore libera, sinibus lateralibus inter car- 
pellas plerumque tarn longis quam parte libera, 
angulis lateralibus minoribus et paucis, apice 
alto-convexa, carpellis 8, apicibus carpellarum 
depresso-convexis, sinibus centralibus 1.5-3 mm. 
profundis, stigmatibus 4-5 mm. longis subcen- 
tralibus suborbicularibus centripetalibus cordatis 
horizontalibus, endocarpio submediali 47 mm. [ 
longo 54 mm. lato magno obscure brunneo os- 
seoso, seminibus 16-17 mm. longis 4-4.5 mm. 
diametro ellipsoideo, mesocarpio apicali cum 
cavernis parvis remotis medullosis et cum fibris, 
mesocarpio basali minimi fibrosi et carnosi. 
DESCRIPTION OF ALL SPECIMENS EXAMINED: 
Tree 10 m. tall; trunks usually several together, 
