1 8 8 AITHAIS OF THE EOYAL BOTAIILC QAEDEN, CALCUTTA. FIUPENDULUS
PLATF, 43.—Calamus coiTugatus Becc. The entire specimen, deserved above,
of P. B. No. 1910 in Herb. Becc.
34. CALAMUS PAPUANUS Becc. Malesia, iii, 60, and in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii,
201. Calamus ¡p. No. 47., Becc. Malesia, i, 88.
DESCRIPTION.—Scan dent, slender, very long. Sheathed stem 6-8 mm. in diam.
Leaf-sheaihs flagelliferous, gibbous above, faintly striate longitudinally, fugaciously
futfuraceoua, sprinkled throughout with very small tuberculiform spines
-which point upwards, which are more numerous along the slightly raised
longitudinal line that corresponds to the side where the fiagella are inserted.
Leaf-theath Jlagella very slender, filiform, finely aculeolate throughout and distinctly
callous at their insertion. Leaves short, about 30 cm. long, not cirriferous;
petiole short (2 cm.), subtrigonous, aouleolata ; rachis subtrigonous, obsoletely
bifaced above, armed beneath with scattered claws ; leaflets few (13 in all in the
iew leaves seenj, inequidistant, clustered in about 4 remote fascicles of 3-4 each,
generally disposed in opposite geminate divaricate pairs, the two near the base
not opposite, spreading and cot deflexed, the two of the terminal pair connate
up to about their middle, all of about the same size and form, the largest 10-11
cm. long, 2'o cm. broad, glabrous, papyraceous, rigidulous, of about the same colour on
both surfacea, almost shining above, quite devoid of any kind of hairs, bristles
or spinules, elliptic-lanceolate or ovate-elliptic or broadly oblanceolate, acute at the
base, rather suddenly subulately acuminate into a naked and not bristly apex;
iurnished with 5 very slender cost®, of which the ceatral is slightly stronger than
the side ones, all naked on both surfaces, margins acute, smooth, transverse
veinlete distinct, much interrupted.—Other parts unknown. All parts acquire a
brown colour in drying.
HABITAT.—Dutch New Guinea; at Ramoi {Boccari P. P. No. 421).
OBSERVATIONS.—This seems related to C. javensis. The broad, grouped, opposite,
divaricate leaflets quite hairless or spineless on the nerves, on the margins and
at the apex, distinguish this species from any other of the group.
PLATE 44.—Calamus papuanus Becc. An intermediate portion of the adult
plant from P. P. No. 421 in Herb. Becc.
35. CALAMUS FILIPENDULUS Becc. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 443, and in
Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 202.
DESCRIPTION.—Scandent; rather slender. Sheathed stem 1-1-5 cm. in diam. Leafiheaih*
mottled when young, gibbous above, armed with scattered or slightly
confluent, laminar, short and rather broad brown spines, which are 5-10 mm. long or
even shorter and subtuberculifonn, slightly deflexed, broad and concave beneath at the
base. Ltaf-sheath Jlagella filiform and very slender. Leaves not cirriferous,
•5-1 m. long, with a very variable petiolar portion (from 4 to 30 cm. in
length), smooth or strongly aculeated at tlie margins and on the back, flattish
or superficially c'sannelled above ; rachis more or less armed, mainly along the
middle, with scattered claws j leaflets very few (5-8 in all), large and broad, inequidistant
(the tw T of the terminal pair not differing from the others, but
C. filipendulus] BKCCAEI. MONOG-EAPH OP THE GENUS CALAJMUS. IG^J
confluent by their bases), glabrous, rather shining and of about the same colour
on both surfaces, oblong or elongate-oblong, 25-40 cm. long and 5-10 cm. broad,
gradually narrowing to the base, rather suddenly narrowed above into a short apex,
"furnished with 5-9 costaj which are devoid of bristles or spinules on both
surfaces; margins naked and remotelj' spinulous near the apex; tranverse veinlets
crowded, more distinct in the lower surface. Male and female spaSicet very
similar, filifonn, simply decompound, very slender, 1-1-8 m. long, differing
from the leaf-sheath flagella only in the few remote partial inflorescences they
bear j primary spathes very narrow and long and very closely sheathing, truncate
at the mouth ; the lowermost compressed, acutely two-edged, smooth or aculeolate
on the outer surface ; the upper cylindrical, finely clawed, longitudinally striated,
not scabrid ; partial inflorescences very narrow, divaricate, inserted far above the
mouth of their own spathes, callous at their upper axilla, with 8-12 very short
Bpikelets on each side ; secondary spathes very scabrid or densely covered with
very short tubercled spicules, tubular-cylindraceous, about 5 mm. long, tnmcate at
the mouth and produced at one side into a triangular point which is deflexed
under the spikelet. Male spikeleis very short, 3-15 mm. long, horizontal, arched
downwards, with 3-10 very approximate flowers on each side; spathels bracteiform,
concave, very broad, strongly striately veined as is the involucre, which is shortly
cupular with irregular margin. Male flowers small, oblong, obtuse, 2'5 mm, long;
the calyx striately veined, broadly 3-toothed; the corolla also striate but polished,
twice as long as the calyx; stamens with filiform filaments which are inflected
at the apex; anthers linear; rudimentary ovary slender, columnar, terminated by 3
small recurved stigmas. Female partial inflorescences as the male ones, but somewhat
more robust, with the lowest 3-4 spathels empty or without the usual spikelet;
spikelets very short, 7-8 mm. long, inserted at the mouth of their own spathe;
callous in their upper axilla, arched and deflexed, with very few approximate
flowers; spathels bracteiform as in the male spikelets, with very few strong
nerves converging to the apex; involucrophorum and involucre shallow, sub-cupuiar,
strongly striately veined and with irregular margin; areola of the neuter flower
rather large, ovate and almost two-winged at the sides. Female Jlowera larger
than the males, 3-0 mm. long, conical-ovoid, acute ; the calyx sub-urceolate,
strongly and deeply striately veined and with three broad acute lobes; the
«orolla longer by one-third than the calyx, with lanceolate, acute segments.
Fruiting perianth not pedicelliform. Fruit small, about 12 mm. long, broadly
conically ovate, or from a broad base gradually narrowing into an acute and
slender beak crowned by the recurved stigmas; scales shining, not or indistinctly
channelled along the middle, yellowish, with a narrow often indistinct
intramarginal dark line and a brown scarious and almost fringed tip. Seed
irregularly globular, facetted on the back, with concave facets and a shallow broad
chalazal fovea; albumen equable; embryo basal.
HABITAT.—The Malayan Peninsula, in the district of Perak {Scortechini No. 2312''
in Herb. Becc.; King's Collector Nos. 5659, 5773, 8019 in Herb. Calcutta).
OBSERVATIONS.—This is quite distinct amongst the species of the group by iti
leaves with large, long, broad and many-costate leaflets; by the scabrid secondary