4 i 6 Ridley. — -Branching in Palms. 
ferous species which send out one after another lateral buds from the base, 
and these ascending become erect stems, so that the whole plant eventually 
forms a bush. Such are the rattans ( Calamus , Plectocomia , Zalacca , and 
others), Oncosperma , Pinanga , and others. Then we have a certain number 
in which some of these shoots grow for a considerable distance, usually 
under ground, and produce lateral stems at intervals. Rhapis Jlahellifera 
is an example of this. It throws out slender subterranean suckers to some 
distance which send up erect leafy stems. In connexion with this plant, 
commonly cultivated in Singapore, I may remark in passing that the only 
instance known of its flowering and fruiting is that of a cutting from a rhizome, 
which on being planted grew out into one poor stem that flowered and fruited 
several times but never threw up a second stem during the period of 
observation. 
A species of Pinanga , perhaps P. patula, long cultivated in Singapore, 
has also subterranean stems which throw up erect leafy branches. 
In the two tidal mud palms Metroxylon and Nipa a large branched 
rhizome is produced, of a somewhat fleshy nature. This lies half buried 
in the mud or in drier spots upon the surface of the ground, and pro- 
duces axillary buds. Some of these ascend and form the tall erect stems 
in Metroxylon , while others, slowly developing, produce the rhizome- 
branches, from which again ascending stems are developed. This form 
of palm, although the stems bear pseudo-terminal inflorescences and die 
after flowering, cannot be called monocarpic in the sense that Corypha 
is a monocarpic palm, as the main stem (the rhizome) does not die, and 
only the branches are monocarpic. 
Morris, in his paper referred to, regards as branched only palms that 
have divisions of the main stem near the apex, but there is no reason for 
excluding from the category those that throw out lateral shoots even 
low down on an ascending stem, which shoots ascend and eventually 
become often as large as the original stem from which they grew. About 
twelve years ago, in a clump of Oncosperma jilamentosa a shoot was 
thrown out from an erect stem about a foot from the base. It is now 
(1906) developed into a full-sized erect stem, parallel with the original 
stem, so that the appearance is that of an equally forked stem, bifurcating 
a foot from the ground. In many of these developments of lateral buds 
from the erect stems the growth only lasts for a few years, and the buds 
die off and disappear, but occasionally, as in the case of this Oncosperma , 
they develop into erect stems. 
In the summary of his paper, Morris draws the conclusion that — 
1. The branching is due to the injury or destruction of the ter- 
minal bud. This may be, and is certainly sometimes the case, in the 
date palms (Phoenix), but is certainly not always or even commonly so 
in other palms ; I never saw an instance in which dichotomy of the 
