1 9 6 ANNAXB OF THE EOTAL BOTANIC OAEDEN, CALCUTTA. [£?, SOBISTOACAFLTHUS
band. Mole spadix Female spadix very slender, filiform, 40 cm. long, with
a large polished callus at its insertion and terminating in a filiform flagellum
•which is finely aculeolate all r o u n d ; partial inflorescences v e r y few, only two in one
flpecimen and of these the lowest 12 cm. long, with 9 spikelets in all; p r i m a r y spatbes
elongate, very narrowly tubular, closely sheathing, truncate at the mouth, fugaciously
covered with blackish scales and densely armed all round with very small a n d very
a c u t e black-tipped claws; secondary spathes t u b u l a r - s u b c l a v a t e , a t t e n u a t e d a good deal at
t h e base, w h e r e t h e y are flat onthe inner side t r u n c a t e at the mouth, obtusely apiculate
a t one side, smooth or armed with a few short claws; spikelets alternate, distichous,
s t r a i g h t , filiform, horizontal or slightly deflcxed, 3 - 4 cm. long, attached above the
m o u t h of their own spathe, and with a distinct a x i l l a r y callus; spathels t u b u l a r - i u f u n -
d i b u l i f o r m , truDCitte at the mouth, indistinctly striately veined; involucrophorum
shallow, sub-cupular, laterally attached to the base of the spathel above its own;
i n v o l u c r e sub-cupulac with unequal m a r g i n ; areola of the neuter flower lunate with
a c u t e borders. Female jiowers small, 2-5 mm. long. Fruiting perianth distinctly pedicellif
o r m ; the calyx glabrous, smooth, not striately veined, h a r d e n e d and depressedly
v e n t r i c o s e at the base, divided down almost to the middle into 3 broad apiculate
l o b e s - the corolla divided into 3 ovate, acute, smooth segments, which are longer
b v one-third than the calyx; stamens forming with the u n i t e d bases of the
filaments an urceolum which is as long as the calyx a n d is crowned hy 6 triangular
l a n c e o l a t e , subulate teeth. Fmiiiti perianth pedicelHform. Fruit globular or a trifle
l o n o e r than broad, 5 mm. long by 8-8-5 mm. in width and f u r t h e r topped by
a oylindric beak 1-5 mm. long; scales subshining, but very finely soabrldulous under
i strong lens, almost flat, f a i n t l y channelled along the middle, broader t h a n long,
w i t h an i n t r a m a r g i n a l light line and f u r t h e r bordered by another line of a chestnutb
r o w n colour, their lips . l i g h t l y prolonged and appressed, their margms almost entire-
Seed i t r e ^ l a r l y globular, slightly compressed, 6 mm. long, coarsely alveolate; chalazal
f o v e a roundish, shallow; albumen e q u a b l e ; embryo basal.
HABITAT-Oochin-China, £»»«i™. Rediscovered by P i e r r e in F e b r u a r y 1879
on the Chiao-Xhoin m o u n t a i n s . - N a t i v o name in Mm language " E a r n , " in Annamito
" M a y S a p , " (Fierre No. 4834).
OL.SKavVTIOHS.-Not»ithstandinB t h e v e r y defective description o! O.lamu, dioiem left
b v L o r e i r r l n y considerations have induced me to i d e n t i f y wrth this species the
b j ^oureiro, m a y g „i.t^j to C. ,avem<e, which
specimens „1^ ? ™ ^ , . „ j of the stem. It is, however,
« : d V L ~ t a v i n g 3-5 slender c o s t , w h ^ h are b r i s t l y s p i n u l o us
I r a n i by fruiting p e r i a n t h being d i s t i n c t l y pedicellitorm.
P ™ 5 1 . - C a l a m u s dioicus Le«r. Portion o! the plant with a fruit spadix
f r o m P i e r r e ' s No. 4834.
40. OALIMOS SOBISTOAOASTHOB B1. Knmphia iii, 4 9 ; Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii
9 3 6 ; Walp. Ann. iK, 406 and 830; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat, ill, 122, and
i n J o u r n . Bot. Neerl. i p. 21, a n d De Palm. Arc. Ind. 27; Wendl. in
K e r c h . Les Palm. 237; Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. I n d . ii, 201.
C. Kingianus] BECCAKI. MOKOGEAPH OF THE GEHU3 CALAMU8
DESCRIPTION.—Slender, scandent, as thick as a mau's little finger at most. LeaJ-
•tlieaths obliquely t r u n c a t e at the mouth, fugaciously tomontose, densely armed with
v e r y unequal spreading s t r a i g ht subulate spiues, which are short or 2-3 cm. long,
swollen and light-coloured above at the base, othorwise glossy, and of a leaden
schistaceous colour. Leaf-sJmih Jlagella slender, filiform, armed with small solitary
-or half-whorled claws. Leaves rather short ( 4 0 - 6 0 cm. long) not c i r r i f e r o u s ; petiole
•short or almost obsolete, channelled above, rounded on the back, armed at the
•sides with some straight, 5-10 mm. long, spreading conical subulate darkt
i p p e d spines; rachis dotted with brown deciduous scales, bifaced above, rounded
b e n e a t h , where irregularly a m e d with small scattered solitary geminate or t e r n a te
b l a c k - t i p p e d claws; leaflets not many, 12-13 on the whole, of which 4 somewhat
more remote than the others and approximate at the apex, of these the two terminal
e n t i r e l y free at the base; those of the basal pair opposite; the i n t e r m e d i a t e ones
i r r e g u l a r l y and remotely a l t e r n a t e ; they vary f r o m 15 to 30 cm. in length and
1 0 - 1 2 mm. in b r e a d t h and are narrow, l i n e a r - e n s i f o rm and a t t e n u a t e at the base,
a c u r a i n a t e and b r i s t l y - p e n i c i l l a t e at the apex, almost papyraceous, rigidulous, glabrous
•and about the same colour on both surfaces, but sprinkled beneath with small scales
which are visible under a lens, furnished with an acute mid-costa and 1 - 2 fine
•weaker nerves on each side of it—all naked on both surfaces; margins somewhat
"thickened by a slender nerve r u n n i n g alongside and a p p r c s s e d l y b r i s t l y - c i l i a t e only
n e a r the apex and smooth at the base; transverse veinlets sharp, rather remote
a n d much i n t e r m p t e d . Other parts unknown.
HABITAT,—Sumatra, Praetonus; also in Borneo on the River Dussoon, Eorthais
a c c o r d i n g to Blume.
ODSEEVATIOKB.—Very imperfectly known. Blume says that the specimens from
S u m a t r a agree with those f r om Borneo, and that only the leaves and leaflets of the
first are more robust; nevertheless I entertain sonie doubt about the Bornee
specimens, and I consider as typical those of Praetorius f r om Sumatra, of which I
have seen one, k i n d l y sent to me f r om the Leyden H e r b a r i u m . In this specimen the
s h e a t h e d stem is 7 - 8 mm. in d i a m e t e r ; the leaves are almost without a petiole and
•bear five v e r y n a r r ow leaflets on cach side with other four approximate at the top as
d e s c r i b e d above. C. scldstoacanthus seems r e l a t e d to C. javensis; but its true affinities
in the absence of the spadices remain uncertain.
PLATE 52.—Calamus schistoacanthus Bl. The entire type-specimen of Praetorius,
"from Sumatra, in the Leyden. Herbarium.
41. CALAMUS KINGIANUS Becc. sp, n.
DESCRIPTION.—Slender, probably ecandent. Sheathed stem 10-12 mm. in diam.
Leaf-sJusaths cylindrical, strongly gibbous above, covered with a thin ashy-brown
s c u r f y - c r u s t a c e c u s indumentum, very densely armed with rather short unequal
slender laminar horizontal spines, which often form short inteiTupted very approxim
a t e and sometimes crested ridges. Ocrca inconspicuous. Leaves not cirriferous, 70 cm.
•long on the whole; petiole 16 cm. long in one leaf, slightly channelled near the
base aud otherwise flat and naked above, s p a r i n g l y armed at the sides and along