198 AN>-ALS OP THE ROYAL BOTiNIC GABDK.\, CALCUTTA. \_D. peHaoanthUS
DESCRIPTION.—Scandont, of moderate size or rather robust. Sheathed stem 3-H-ö cm.
ill diameter. Leaf-sheat/is have a small and inconspicuous gibbosity far below the base
of the potiole, and are armed with comparatively few, large, light-ooloured, flat, 2-1
mm. broad, 3 - i cm. long, solitary, deflexed spines, scattered amongst a large
number of crowded, ascendant, dai-Ii-brown, rigid spiculae, 10-15 mm. long at most;
the mouth is obliquely truncate and ai-med with several, erect, 8 - 1 0 cm. long, lightcoloured,
large spines. Leaves largo, 2-2-2 m. long in the pinniferous part, and
termiuaticg in a robust, long, and powerfully clawed cirrus; petiole very robust,
about 70 cm. long aud 2 cm. broad, rather polished, in its basal portion
Bub-plano-convex with rather acute edges, from the middle upwards almost
equally convex on both surfaces aud somewhat flattened; in this portion the edges
are very acute, and near them, ou the lower surface, as also along the centre °of
the dorsum, are a few, scattered, large, strong, broadly laminar, light-coloured spines;
further both surfaces, but especially the upper oue, are more or less covered
with small, straight, short and comparatively large, solitary or shortly seriate
ascendent spines; tlie petiole of the lower leaves is terete and armed with remote
whorls of large light-coloured spines; rachis convex aud prickly on the lower portion
of the upper surface, and superficially grooved at the sides for the insertion oi the
leaflets; from about the middle upwards the rachis is smooth, and has an acute
salient angle and flat side faces; on the lower surface it is armed with very robust
claws at first 3-nate, then 5-nate, and on the cirrus Ilalf-whorled at short and
regular intervals. Xeaßets numerous, all on one plane, but aggregated on each side
of the rachis iuto several remote groups of 2-Ö leaflets in each; the groups are
subopposite, i.e., those on one side are slightly decurrent to those on the other side;
the vacant spaces are 10—20 cm. long; in each group the leaflets are sub-equidistant'
4 - 5 cm. apart; they are rather firmly papyraceous, closely and superficially plicate
longitudinally, green, faintly glossy on the upper surface, paler and quite dull
beneath, eusiform or narrowly laticeolate, broadest about their middle, tapering thence
to a rather acute base, and acuminate towards a subulate, slightly bristly-spinulous
tip; on the upper surface they have often a broad glossy baud along the lower
margin, and the mid-costa and the secondary nerves slender and sharp, of the
latter one on each side of the mid-costa being somewhat stronger than the
others; both surfaces are usually quite smooth, but at times the mid-costa has
a few bristles underneath near the apex; the transverse veinlets are not sharp
but excessively numerous, short and interrupted, and give an obsoletely shagreened
appearance to both surfaces; margins almost smooth from the base up to about
the middle, and thence minutely spinulous; the intermediate leaflets in large
specimens are 50 cm. long and 4 cm. broad. Male spadix erect, rigid; the panicle
5 0 - 7 0 cm. in length, borne on a strongly flattened pedicellar part, which is
5 - 1 2 cm. long, 8-12 mm. broad and has a few fascicles of flabby light-coloured,
black-tipped, acicular spines on the edges; primary spathes lanceolate, deciduous'
thinly coriaceous, of a cinnamon-brown colour, rusty-furfuraceous externally, finely
strifttely-veined; the outermost splits longitudinally along the entire ventral side
is two-keeled on the back, and more or less armed 07i the keels, with fascicles
of flabby, unequal sub-bristly spinules; inner spathes smooth, each gradually
protrading beyond the other; the flowering axis is slightly flexuose, more or less
rusty-furfuraceous; its internodes are 7-10 cm. long, obsoletely angular, not
D. periacanthus] beocaki. t h e species of daejionorops. 199
distinctly swollen at the nodes; the partial inflorescences are 7-10 in number,
spreading, rather densely panioled-pyramidate; the lowest are 10-12 cm. long and
have two series of 4-5 branchlets each; the upper inflDresceuoes speedily
diminishing, while those near the apex are very small and slightly branched; the
lowest branchlet-s have each 4-5 not quite flatly-distichous spikelets on each side;
the other hrsiichlets speedily decrease in length and number of spikelets; secondary
and tertiary spathes very shortly sheathing, Diembranous, dry, cinnamon-biown,
broad, triangular, subulately acumiuate, glabrous, striafely-veined; all the axial parts
of tlie partial inflorescences are rusty and floccosly furfuraceous; spikelets short,
erecto-patent, the lower of each branchlet 1-5-2 cm. long, and with 7-8
distichous approximate flowers on each side; the others shorten regularly but rapidly
and have very few flowers; spathels alm.ost without a tubular part, concavebracteiform,
produced «t one side into a broad, triangular, very obtuse, spreading or
deflexed point; involucre shallowly cupular, orbicular, entire or obsoletely toothed
on the posticous side. Male flowers 5 mm. long, oblong, obtuse; the calyx cyathiform,
very slightly 3. denticulate, finely striately veined ; the corolla nearly thrice
as long as the calyx, not, or very faintly, striate. Female sp'idix straight, erect,
rigid, more or less persistently rusty-furfuraceous in ei'ery part; the flowering
panicle borne on a long peduncular part, rather loosely thyrsoid, acuminate,
on the average 30-40 cm. long and with 6-7, or at times fewer, speedily decrescent
partial inflorescences; the main axis slightly sinuous, the internodes irregularly
angular, somewhat swollen at the junctures and with a conspicuous axillary callus;
peduncular part of the spadix strongly flattened and acutely S-edged, 30-50 cm.
long, 6-8 mm. broad at the base, 8-14 mm. at upper end; the edges only armed
at short intervals with not very strong, often slender, rather short (10-12 mm. long
at most) horizontal, solitary, fascicled, and digitate, unequal, divergent spines; smooth
on the surfaces or, at times, more or loss prickly; primary spathes deciduous; partial
inflorescences erecto-patent or inserted at an angle of about 45"; the lowest
and largest 15-18 em. long, with 4 - 5 erecto-patent spikelets on each side; the
others speedily smaller, and that of the apex reduced to only one scantily flowered
spikelet; secondary spathes very small, annular-amplectent, produced at one side
into a triangular, acuminate membranous point; spikelets kept spread by a
conspicuous axillary callus, the lower the largest, 5-7 cm. long, with
distichous flowers on each side, the others are gradually smaller, their axes
slightly augular, zig-zag sinuous; the spathels have a very short and broad
triangular ac juminate point; the iiivolucrophorum more or less distinctly pedicelliform,
obconical, flattened on the axial side, 3-5 mm. long, with a short, unilaterally
evolute, infundibular, almost obtuso limb; involucre very shallowly cupular or pateriform
with a rounded limb, often more evolute on the side of the areola of the
neutor flower; the areola itself is concave, niche-like, sharply bordered, suborbicular
or more or less depressed. Female floivers about 6 moi. long; the calyx cupular, very
obsoletely 3-toothed, not striately veined, of a thickish texture; the corolla twice as
long as the calyx; its segments elongate, triangular, rather acute, uot or obsoletely
veined externally. Fruiting perianth almost espknate with a callous base. Fruit
spherical, 15-17 mm. in diameter, shortly beaked; scales in 15 longitudinal series,
slightly grooved along the centre, of a dull hazel-nut colour with a darker intramarginal
line, the margins very finely ciliate-fringed, the point obtuse. ^ W globular,