198 ANNALS OP THE KOTAL BOTANIC aAEDEN, o a l c i h t a . [Q, K'mgianus
tbo middle beneath with small solitary claws: rachis acutely bifaced above, rather
convex beneath, where armed scantily and irregularly with acattered and solitary or
2-3-nate claws; leaflets very few, Tery in equidistant, approximate into a few
remote fascicles of very few leaflets each ; 4 leaflets are grouped at the apox, digitate
and free at the base; they are nil almost of the same aizs and shape, 25-^6
cm. long, 3 cm. broad, lanceolate, almost equally tapering towards both ends, with
an acuto bristly penicillate apex, green even when dry, dull and almost of the same
colour on both surfaces, papyraceous, rather rigid, distinctly and acutely S-costate,
with another rather distinct nerve near each margin and therefore sub-5-costate, the
3 larger cost» on the upper surface spinulous from the middle upwards; beneath all
the neives more slender and naked; margins finely and appressedly spinulous near
the base, more spreadingly spiuulose towards the apex; transverse veinlets more distinct
on the lower surface than on the upper. Male »padix not very large and rather
rigid, simply decompound (not seen entire); lowest primary spathe tubular, elongate,
closaly sheathing, flattened, two-edged, armed at the sides with horizontal straight
spines and, especially in its basal portion, with small often hooked prickles, obliquely
truncate at the mouth, being prolonged at one side into a rather short obtuse point >
attenuated axial portion between two partial iaflorescences fiat towards the base on
the inner side, and convex on tbe back, where rather densely armed with unequal
scattered solitary claws; partial inflorescences (only on3 seen and it the lowest)
attached with a distinct axillary callus and transverse rima above the mouth of
its spathe, 25 cm. long with 4-5 spikelets on each side and with a terminal
spikelet larger than the side ones; secondary spathes tubular, slightly infuadibuliforoi,
closely sheathing, unarmed, flattish on the inner side near tho base,
obliquely truncate, entire aud naked at the mouth, where slightly prolonged at
one side into a short point; spikelets attached outside their own spathe with a
distinct callus and axillary rima, horizontal or arched downwards, slender, elongate;
the lowest, the largest, 8-9 cm. in length with 20-22 flowers on each
side, the upper ones gradually shorter; spathels asymmetrically infundibuliform, finely
striately veined, truncate, entire and naked at the mouth, prolonged at one aide
into a triangular sometimes cleft rather acute point
attached to the base of tho spathel above its
bi-dentate and with the margin deeply excavated
Male flowers rather remote, ovate-lanceolate, acute,
cylindraceous, obscurely striately veined, with 3 bi-i
form a third part of the length of the entire calys
t h e calyx with narrow acute externally polished segments.—Other parts unknowa.
involucre dimidiately cupular,
own, acutely two-koeled and
n the side next lo the axis,
about 5 mm. long; the calyx
d triangular acute lobes which
corolla about twice as long as
Habitat.—North-East India: found by Sir G. King's collectors in Assam at an
elevation of about 500 m. in February 1893 (Herb. Calc.).
Observations.—0£ this I have seen only one specimen of the stem with leaf
portion of a male spadix; this probably was flagelliferous at its
allied to C. floribmdus, from which it differs in the more distinctly
and the
apex. It
grouped leaflets and in the much longer male spikelets with remote flowers j
but its true affinities are somewhat uncertain in the absence of the female spadix
and fruit.
C. Muellerf] BECCAUI. MONOGBAPH OF THE GENÜS CALAMUS. 199
The main eharactere of C. Kingianux are the short leaves with a relatively long
petiole; the very few lanceolate leaflets, which are distinctly fascicled, 3- or Bub-5
costate; the two terminal free at the base; the male spadix with partial inflor«
escences terminating in a spikelct longer than the side ones which are elongate
witli many distant flowers.
P l a t k 53.—Calamus Kiogianus Becc. The entire type-specimen in Herb. Calc.
42. CALAMiis Muellerii H. Wendl. in Jett. to F.
Drude in Linnasa, xxxix. (1875), 193, pi. i:
Kerch. Les Palm. 237; Benth. Fl.
Austr.
Austr. PI. 119; Becc. Malesia i, 8
and
202; Bailey in Queensl. Fl. 1686.
Muell ; H. Wendl. &
ii, f. 3.-8; H. Weudl. in
, 134; F. V. Mnell. Census
Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii.
Mueller Fragm. Phyt. Austr. v,
C. ausiralis (not of Mart.) F. v,
49 (fide Wendl. & Drude I. c.).
DtscRiPTiOK.—Scandent, slender, Skcaihed stem 6-8 mm. in diam. Leaf-¡¡heaths
flagelliferous, not gibbous above, rusty-furfuraceous, entirely covered with ascendent or
spreading chest nut-brown (ultimately deciduous ?) bristles, which are 6-7 mm. long
at most, and become closer, longer and erect near the mouth of the sheath. Ocrea
very short (a few mm. long) horizontally truncate, very densely bristly-spinulous
like the leaf-sheaths. Leaf-sheath flagella filifonu, rather rigid, armed with very
slender scattered claws. Leaves not cirriferous, short (about 30 cm. long) ; petiole
almost obsolete or very short, trigonous, bristly-spinulous at the sides, but chiefly
underneath; rachis rather densely furfuraceous like the petiole, trigonous, bifaced
and acute above, flattish underneath, where sparsely and irregularly armed at the
sides and along the middle with slender scattered recurved spines, which change
towards the summit into small claws; leaflets few (11-14 in all) very irregularly set,
lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, almost equally attenuate to both ends, acute at the
base, subulately acuminate at the apex, thinly paj)yraceous, about the same colour on
both surfaces, almost shining, 3-sub-5-co8tulate, the mid-costa slightly stronger than the
side ones, all naked on both surfaces or sometimes the mid-costa furnished near the
base on the upper surface with a few (1-4) pale, weak, 5-7 mm. long spiculfe; transverse
veinlets rather sharp and approximate; margins ciliated with small remote spread
ing spinulcs; the largest leaflets, the mesial, 18-20 cm. long and 16-24 mm. broadj
3 - 4 of those nearer tlie base usually approximate and iusoi-ted very near to the sheath;
the 4 uppermost also Approximate and the two terminal free or more or less connate
a t tbe base. Male spadix Female spadix supra decompound, elongate,
flagelliform, very slender, with very few, remote partial inflorescences; primary spathes
very elongate, tubular, very closely sheathing, rather densely aculeolate, bristly at the
mouth; the lowermost* slightly compressed, the others cylindraceous; partial inflorescences
furnished with a filiform flattened peduncular portion, the largest among them
(the lowest) 10-15 em. long with 6-7 spikelets on each side; secondary spathes very
closely sheathing, tubular, slightly enlarged above, subtrigonous, smooth or aculeolate
in their upper part, truncate and ciliolate at the mouth, where acute at one side;
spikelets inserted above the mouth of their own spathe, with a veiy distinct axillary
callus; the largest (the lowest) 3 - 6 cm. long, with 8 - 1 2 flowers each side; tho