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FLORA OF THE MALAY PENINSULA 
VOLUME V 
Order CLVI. PALMACE^ 
Shrubs or trees, erect or climbing, more rarely rhizomatous, 
often spiny. Leaves alternate; petioles sheathing, limb pinnatisect 
or palmate, sometimes entire or bi-pinnate. Inflorescence panicled 
or spicate, axillary or sub-terminal, enclosed at first in one or more 
sheathing bract (spathes). Flowers small, rarely medium or large, 
white, green or pink, uni- or bi-sexual, usually sessile and sunk in 
the rachis. Perianth inferior. Sepals 3. Petals usually longer, 3, 
Stamens 3 to 6 or more; filaments filiform. Ovary i- to 3-celled 
or 3-carpelled; ovules i to 3 in a cell; stigmas 3, usually sessile. 
Fruit a drupe or nut; pericarp fleshy, fibrous or crustaceous or 
covered with imbricating scales. Seed, albumen horny, bony or 
soft, often ruminate; embryo very small. Species over 1000, chiefly 
tropical; most abundant in South America and Malaya, 
I. ARECiNEiE. Leaves pinnate, more rarely entire obcuneate, bilobed. 
Inflorescences spicate or panicled, appearing from the axils of the leaves 
upwards. Flowers unisexual on the same inflorescence. Fruit drupaceous. 
Male flowers minute on the tips of the spadix- 
branches ; females fewer and larger at 
the base ...... 
Male flowers in pairs on either side of a female 
flower. 
Albumen ruminate; plants unarmed; spathes 
caducous. 
Fruit small; stems usually several. 
Sepals smaller than petals, usually orbicular 
Sepals as long as petals, acuminate . 
Fruit as large as an egg; stems solitary, very 
tall. 
Fruit small oblong: spathes persistent; bushy 
unarmed palms; flowers sunk in rachis . 
Fruit small globose; spathes caducous; palm 
spiny; panicle large .... 
Albumen not ruminate; palms unarmed. 
Stem solitary, stout; fruit large globose 
Stems several, rather slender; fruit small 
oblong ...... 
Male flower one to each female; slender stemmed 
bushy palms ..... 
Fl.M.P., 1 
I. Areca 
2 . Pinanga 
3. Nenga 
4. Actinorhytis 
5. Iguanura 
6. Oncosperma 
7. Orania 
8. Cyrtostachys 
9. PXYCHORAPIIIS 
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