286 
CXXXVIII. MARANTACE.E. 
[Donax. 
Stems erect shrubby branched; panicles sub¬ 
terminal . . . . . . i. Donax 
Stemless plants. 
Bracts imbricate. 
Spikes solitary elongate erect from rhizome . 2. Stachyphrynium 
Spikes panicled from the side of a petiole . 3. Phacelophrynium 
Bracts not imbricate. 
Spikes in a compact head from side of petiole 4, Phrynium 
1 . DONAX, Lour. 
Stems tall, shrubby much branched. Leaves ovate or oblong; 
petioles short; sheaths long. Panicles lax. Bracts narrow lanceo¬ 
late. Flowers rather small, white. Sepals narrow. Staminal 
tube cylindric. Staminodes obovate unequal. Ovary 3-celled, 
cells i-ovuled. Style stout incurved. Fruit indehiscent or de¬ 
hiscent, 1- to 3-seeded, globose or trigonous. Seeds sub-globose. 
Aril laciniate. Species 5, Indo-Malayan. 
Stems 15 ft. tall; racemes numerous pendulous; 
fruit globose, i-seeded . . . . (i) D. grandis 
Stems 8 ft. tall or less; racemes few erect; fruit 
often trigonous, 3-seeded . . , (2) D. arundastrum 
Stems short; racemes pendulous hairy; flowers 
very small; fruit 2-seeded, seed warted . . (3) D. parviflora 
(1) 'D. grandis Ridl. Journ. Roy. As. Soc. S. By. 32, p. 176; 
Mat. ii. 56. Maranta grandis Miq. FI. Ind. Bat. Supp. 616. Acto- 
planes Ridleyi Schum. Pflanzenreich. Marant. 35. 
A tall bamboo-like plant, 15 ft. high or more. Stems smooth 
green, branches clustered spirally on a thickened part of stem. 
Leaves ovate acute, 1 ft. long, 6 in. wide, base round; petioles 
1 in. long. Racemes numerous pendent from upper leaf axils, 
1 ft. long. Flowers rather distant. Sepals lanceolate acute. Lip 
oblong-obovate yellow. Fruit globose smooth, yellowish white, 
i-seeded. Hah. Common in forests. Singapore, Bukit Panjang; 
Bukit Tiinah (Hullett). Johor, Hulu Sembrong (Recall). Pahang, 
Tahan River; Gunong Senyum (Evans). Malacca, Bukit Panchur; 
Sungei Hudang (Derry). Negri Sembilan, Tampin. Selangor, 
Batu Caves; Rawang. Dindings, Telok Sera. Perak, Thaiping 
Hills (Curtis). Kelantan, Kwala Aring (Yapp); Chaning (Ridley). 
Province Wellesley, Krian. Perlis, Tebing Tinggi. Legeh, Blim- 
bing (G wynne-Vaughan). Distrib . Burma, Andamans, Siam, 
Sumatra, Borneo. Native Jiame: Bemban. Use ; Stems for 
making baskets. 
(2) D. arundastrum Lour. FI. Cochinchine 15. 
Stems numerous slender, up to 8 ft. tall; branches dichotomous. 
Leaves elliptic, base round; petioles -24 in. long. Panicles spread¬ 
ing erect, 2 to 8 in. long; branches few. Flowers in pairs short 
pedicelled with a yellow conic gland below, ovary larger than in 
D. grandis. Sepals spathulate, upper one 1^5 in. long. Lip small 
