J G ^ ANNAJ-S OF THE BOYAL BOTAKIC GAEDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. INTENUPTUS
CALAMUS FLORIBUKDUS var. DEPAUPERATUB Beec,
DESCBIPTION.-SmalI, delicate, 1 m. high {0. B. Clarke). Sheathed stem very
slender b-6 mm. in diaoi. Leaf-sheaths armed with very small, short and broad
s p i n e a . ' Ocr.« densely bristly-hispid. Loaves 3 5 - 4 0 cm. long with 6-8 leaflets (m
ail) in two groups; leaflets 1Ó-20 cm. long, 15-22 mm. broad; those of the
terminal pair more or lass connate at the base ; petiole and rachis armed with small
Bcatteied claws. Male spadix slender, flagelliform, almost simply decompouod, with
'2-2 small partial inflorescences.
HABITAT.—Gari at 400 m. in the Garo Hills in Assam, C. B. Clarke in H.
Beccari.
OBSBRVATIOSS.—This variety at first sight appears very distinct from the
type, and recalls some of the forms of C. javemis.
PLATE 48.—Calamus fioribnndus vir. depiuporatas Beee. C. B. Clarke's entire
specimen in H. Beec.
38. CALAMUS RTEBRUPTUS Becc. Malesia Ui, 50 and Rec. Eot. Surv. Ind. ii, 204.
PESCRIPTIOS.—Scandent, of moderate aze. Sheathed stem 15-20 mm. in diam,
Leaj-sheaihs cylindrical, almost glaucescent, fugaciously furfuraceous, slightly gibbous
above, very obliquely truncate at the mouth, gradually passing into the petiole, armed
with ' a few strong, scattered, solitary or sometimes confluent, deflexed, flattened
and straight and subulate 15-20 mm. long spines, which have a broad base
concave beneath. Ocrea small, glabrous, liguliform and membranous, narrowly
bordering the margins of the base of the petiole and the mouth of the sheath.
Leaf-iheaih Jlagella very long and robust, flattened and acutely two-edged in their
lower portion where they are spinulose-serrulate or furnished with small ascendent
prickies at the sides, terete above and strongly armed with scattered or aggregate
or hulf-whorled daws. Leaves not cirriferous, 1-5 m. long; the petiole rather long
( 2 5 - 3 5 cm.) very broad at the base, where deeply channelled above and with
acute membranous naked margins, rounded and unarmed beneath in its first
portion- higher up flat and smooth above, and armed irregularly beneath along
t h e middle" and at the sides, like the first portion of the rachis, witli rather
robust and scattered claws; the rachis bifaced and smooth above, and armed rather
densely beneath, mainly in the upper portion, with sirong, solitary, or more or
less confluent, black-tipped claws; the leaflets not numerous, about 15 on each
side irregularly approximate into 4-5 distant fascicles of 2-3 on each side,
e l o n g a t e - l i i c e o l a t e , gradually narrowed to an acute base, acuminate at the apex
into a subulate, naked or very sparingly bristly tip, í¿5-35 cm. long, 2-5-3
cm broad, papyraceous, rather firm, brown when dry, shining above, of the
same colour on both surfaces, perfectly glabrous, their mid-costa acute above, and
with 2 - 3 secondary nei-ves on each side of it, naked on botn sm-faces; transverse
veinlets sharp, much interrupted, margins acute, smooth; the two leaflets of the
terminal pair somewhat shorter than the others and confluent by their b a s e s -
Other parts unknown. The leaves acquire a dark brown colour on drying.
HABITAT.—N.-W. New Guinea; at Ramoi, BeccaH P. P. No, 420.
C. dhkus] BECCASI. MONOGEAPH OE THE GENUS CALAMUS. 135
OBSEEVATIONS.—Distinguished 'amongst the Papuan species by the cylindrical,
smooth or sparingly spinous leaf-sheaths, which gradually pass into the petiole, and by
the leaflets which are not numerous, narrowly lanceolate with only the mid-costa acute
and 2 - 3 secondary nerves on each side of it quite smooth (also at the margin), and
approximate into 4 - 5 distant groups.
PLATE 49.—Calamus interruptus Becc. Portion of the sheathed stem with an entire
flagellum and the base of a leaf; and intermediate portion of a leaf seen from the
under surface (on the left lower corner); the apex of the same leaf, from P. P.
No. 420.
CALAMUS IHTEERUITUS var. DOCILIS Becc. Malesia ii, 60.
C. doeilis Becc. in Eec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 204.
DESCEIPTION.—it differs from the type only in the quite unarmed leaf-sheaths.
HABITAT.—North-Western New Guinea; at Ramoi, with the type Beccari P. P.
No. 418.
PLATE 50.—Calamus interruptus T'ar. doeilis Becc. Portion of the sheathed stem
with an entire flagellum; an intermediate portion of a leaf (upper surface); the apex
of the same leaf, from P. P. No. 418 in Herb. Becc.
39. CALAMUS DIOIODS Lour. Fl. Cochinchin. i, 210; edit. Willd. i, 262; Lam
Encyci. vi, 366; Roem. et Schult. Syst. Veg. vii, IL 1322; Mart.
Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, edit. I. 213 and p. 342; Kunth Enum. PL iii,
2 1 3 ; "Walp. Ann. iii, 491 and v, 832; H. Wendl. in Kerch. Les
Palm., 2ci6.; Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 201.
DESCRIPTION.—Very slender, scandent. Sheathed stem 4-5 mm. in diam.; naked
canes 2-5 mm. in diam. Leaf-sheaths flagelliferous, gibbous above, hispid or bristly near
the mouth and densely covered with very unequal, slender, straight, slightly deflexed
spines which are 1-5 mm. long and rest on a broad base. Ocrea 15-20 mm.
long, drj, membranous, bristly-spinulous on the ventral side, later lacerated and
deciduous. Leaf-sheath Jlagella very slender, filiform, with a large axillary callus
at the base, and with the lowest spathe flattened and spinulous. terete upwards
and very finely clawed all round. Leaves short, 25-40 cm. long, not cirriferous,
petiole very short or almost obsolete; rachis trigonous, clawed throughout beneath
leaf-sheaths, petiole and rachis fugaciously covered with very dark scm-f; leaflets
v e r y inequidistant, more or less distinctly grouped, 8-11 in all, of which 4 are
very approximate at the summit with the two terminal free at the base and other 4
inserted very near the mouth of the sheath and kept in a divergent or deflexed
position by a distinct basal callus; the intermediate ones opposite when there are 2 ; if
3 one straggling; all are very narrowly lanceolate, 10—20 cm. long, 11-15 mm.
broad nai-rowing to the base and acuminate to a bristly-penicillate apex; very flnely
3. or' 8ub-6-co8tulate; the costie acute and all more or less bristly-spinulous above,
the niid-co«ta scax-cely more distinct than the side ones, beneath all superficial and
smooth; secondary nerves very faint: transverse veinleis much interrupted and not very
crowded; margins finely and appressedly spinulous, sometimes bordered by a polished
ANN. EOT. BOT. GARD, OALOÜTTA VOL. X I.