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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XIX, October 1965 
wide, the upper margins serrulate; syncarp en- 
wrapped and nearly concealed by the marceseent 
bracts; syncarp 14 cm long, 12 cm in diameter, 
broad ellipsoid, markedly 3 -sided, bearing about 
57 6 drupes, these 33-35 mm long, 9-11 mm 
wide, 7-10 mm thick, oblong-lanceoloid, 5-7- 
angled (the apical ones averaging slightly the 
larger and with a simple, arcuate, subulate style), 
the normal lateral ones still green, but full sized, 
a little glaucous, the sides plane and smooth, 
upper Va free; pileus 12-15 mm high, the base 
oblance-pyramidal, 7-10 mm high, 5-7 -angled, 
the sides smooth; style of lateral and basal 
drupes 7-8 mm long, horn-like, dark brown, 
shining, flattened, ascending, then sharply proxi- 
mally curved almost at right angle, bifurcate 
V5-36 way, the forks spine-like, mostly di- 
vergent and subequal; stigma 4-5 mm long, 
lanceolate, bifurcate, brown, papillose, extending 
almost to the tips; apical drupes with simple, 
subulate style 5-6 mm long, erect, straight or 
slightly arcuate; endocarp submedian, the body 
14 mm long, bony, brown, the apex bearing a 
subulate prolongation 8 mm long, the lateral 
walls 1-1.5 mm thick, the inner surface shin- 
ing; seed 13 mm long, ellipsoid; apical meso- 
carp a cavern with many white medullary mem- 
branes; basal mesocarp scant, fibrous and fleshy. 
HOLOTYPUS: Thailand, Doi Suthet, Chiang 
Mai, moist forest of Mangiieta Garrattiana and 
Podocarpus nereifolia , moist stream bank on 
granite, 1,200 m alt, June 7, I960, H. St. John 
26,352 (bish). 
DISCUSSION : P. penetrans is a member of the 
section Rykia, as is its closest relative, the Ma- 
layan species P. longicaudatus Holttum & St. 
John, a species which has the syncarp 16-17 cm 
long; drupes 41-44 mm long, 8-14 mm wide, 
cuneate oblong; pileus base 4-6 mm high, 
pyramidal-hemispheric; stigma 3-3.5 mm long; 
leaves 4.7-6 cm wide, at midsection with 48 
parallel secondary veins in each half, the cov- 
ered base olive-ochre, and at midsection the 
midrib unarmed. P. penetrans has the syncarp 
14 cm long; drupes 33-35 mm long, 9-11 mm 
wide, oblong-lanceoloid; pileus base 7-10 mm 
high, oblance-pyramidal; stigma 4-5 mm long; 
leaves 6-6.3 cm wide, at midsection with 43 
parallel secondary veins in each half, the covered 
base copper-colored, at midsection the midrib 
below with prickles 3.5-5 mm long, 38-70 mm 
apart. 
The new epithet is the Latin word penetrans , 
penetrating, and is given in reference to the 
sharp, rigid style forks that easily penetrate 
one’s flesh. 
