FLORA VITIENSIS. 269 
Orpo XCIl.— PALME, 
, Besides the genera of this Natural Order represented in Viti, we have in tropical Polynesia two others, 
viz. Clinostigma, Herm. Wendl. in Seem. Bonplandia, 1862, p. 196, with one species (CO! Samoénse, Herm. 
Wendl. l.c., collected by the United States Exploring Expedition in the Samoan or Navigation group), and 
Teysmannia, Zoll., also with one species, viz, 7. altifrons, Zoll., Blass in Seem. Bonplandia, 1858, p. 822 
(=? Pholidocarpus Thur, Blume; Borassus (?) Ihur, Giesecke; Livistona (7) Diepenhorstit, Hassk.), of 
which M‘Gillivray collected in New Caledonia fruits, preserved at the British Museum. ] 
The Fijians have specific names for all the Palms inhabiting their islands, and they are, besides, the 
only people who in their barbarous state had a collective term, “ Niu,” for them, viz. :— 
Niu dina = Cocos nucifera, Linn. 
N iu sawa = Veitchia Joannis, Herm, Wendl. 
Niu niu = Cagicake = Ptychosperma filiferum, Herm. Wendl. 
Niu soria = Sogo = Sagus Vitiensis, Herm. Wendl. 
Nin massei = Sakiki = Viu = Pritchardia pacifica, Seem. et Herm. Wendl. 
Niu Balaka = Ptychosperma Seemanni, Herm. Wendl. 
The word “Niu” is common to most Polynesian languages, often taking the form of “Nia” and 
“ Niau ;” the New Zealand “ Nikau,” by which the Maoris designate their indigenous Palm (Kentia sapida, 
Seem.), does belong, and perhaps even “ Nipa,” the Philippine name of Wipa fruticans, may belong to the 
same group of words. We further trace the Fijian “ Nin,” or with the article “a” (a niu) before it, in the 
names Anao, Anowe, Anau, and Nu, by which a sugar-yielding Palm, the Arenga saccharifera, is known in 
different parts of the Indian Archipelago. The existence of a collective term for ‘‘ Palms” never having 
been pointed out, the passage in John xii, 18, “ Took leaves of the Palm-trees,” is rendered both in the Viwa 
aud the London edition of the Fijiau Bible, “ Hra sa kauta na drau ni balabala,’—literally, “Took leaves of 
the Tree-fern,”’ for the Balabala is a Tree-fern. ‘ Niu” is the term that ought*to have been used, there 
being in Syria two kinds of real Palms, but no Tree-ferns. 
Only one of all the Palms as yet discovered in Fiji is a Fan«palm, the rest having pmnatifid leaves. 
I, Kentia, Blume in Bull. Neerl, 1838, p. 66; Rumphia, t. 106; Hndl. Gen, Supp. vol. 1. p. 
1371. Flores monoici, in eodem spadice fasciculato-ramosi, spatha 3-plici interiori incompleta cincti, 
in scrobiculis sessiles, bracteis hand distinctis cum rhachi coalescentibus, g 2, 9 1 stipantes. Fl. ¢: 
Calyx 3-partitus, laciniis carinatis, haud imbricatis. Corolla 3-petala, petalis wstivatione valvatis. 
Stamina 6; filamenta brevissima, basi connata; antheree lineares, basifixee. Ovarii rndimentum. Fl. ?: 
Calyx 3-phyllus et corolla 8-petala dissimilis, zestivatione convoluta. Staminum rudimenta 0. Ova- 
rium 1-loculare, ovulo in fundo affixo. Stylus brevissimus; stigmata 3, distincta. Bacca parce 
fibrosa, 1-sperma. Albumen zquabile. Embryo basilaris.—Palmee elate ; caudice gracili, annulato, 
leevigato, infra petioloram partem basilarem cylindricam longe vaginantem subincrassato, frondibus 
omnibus terminalibus, pectinato-pinnatisectis, segmentis reduplicatis, apice subbifidis, spadicibus 
infra frondes verticillatis v. solitariis, spathis coriaceis deciduis duplicato-ramosis, ramis arrecto- 
fastigiatis, ramulis undique in scrobiculis superficialibus, flore unico femineo minore binis masculis 
majoribus lateralibus stramineis obsesso, fructibus ellipsoideis parvis. 
i i SIA. ; outhern species are K. sapida, Seem, 
bcp aa) oe aie and Basar fee ip eareag sated Hook, f,), of N onfollk Island. A 
third (P) species, from the New Hebrides, is enumerated by Forster (Prodr. nh. 488), under the names of 
« Areca oleracea (? ?) foliolis integerrimis ; forte ad Arecam sapidam referenda ; but nothing more is known 
of this doubtful species, which of course has nothing to do with the genuine Areca oleracea, of Linnzeus, 
Six species have been discovered in New Caledonia, viz, K. elegans, Brongn. et Gris. ; K. oliveformis, Brongn. 
et Gris.: K. Vietllardi, Brongn. et Gris.; £. Deplanchei, Brongn. et Gris. ; K. gracilis, Brongn. et Gris. ; 
ee 
and K. Pancheri, Brongn. et Gris. 
1, K. exorrhiza, (sp. nov.) Herm. Wendl. in Bonpl. vol.ix. p. 190 (Tab. LXXVIII.) 5 radicibus 
epigeis, segmentis frondium lanceolatis longissime acuminatis rigidiusculis; fl. ¢ phyllis perigonit 
[PUBLISHED JULY 3], 1868. | 2 N 
