ANHAL3 OF THE EOYiL BOTiNIO GAKDES, CALCDTrA. [(?, Muellerit
inach shorter »nd with fewer flowers; spathes broadly infundibaliform,
striately vemed, tráncate and subciliolate at the month, apiculato at one side; in-
Tolucropbornm inserted at the baso of the spathel aboTe its own and with a distinct
axillary callus, capillar, truncate and ultimately split; inTolucre cnpnlar, often asymmetrically
evoluto ; areola of the neuter flower rather large, slightly concave with acuta
borders. Flowers horiaontally set. Fruübig perianth esplanate, its calyx rather coriáceo
«», at first 3-toothed, later entirely split into 3 parts; corolla divided into 3 ovatelanceolate
thinly coñaceous segments one-third longer than the calyx; filaments of
the stamens forming an urceolate cup which reaches to the middle of the corolla
and is crowned by 6 triangular teeth. Fruit broadly obovate or subglobose, about
15 mm. long and 12 mm. broad, rounded at both ends, but topped by a short
beak- scales in 18 series, dull dirty-yellowish, very faintly channelled along the
middle and with a very narrow dark-brown intramarginal line margins pale, scarions;
tip short, triangular, erosc-denticulate. Sesd irregularly globose, 9 mm. in the largest
diam. with a minutely i-ngulose testa and with a rather deep chalazal fovea about
the centre on the raphal side; alhumen horny, equable; embryo basal.
HABITAT.—Australia: in Queensland, on the Brisbane River and in Moreton Bay,
[Wendl, Drude) ; at Laguna Bay, where it is said to be common in certain places'
m the'damp forest, Düh No. 8330 in Herb. Berol.; Pine River, Hill oj- Mmller in
Herb. Kew. In New South Wales on the Richmond River, Ecndarson in Herb,
Kew; on the Clarence River, F. v. Muüler in Herb. Eeccari.
OBSEEVATIOKS.—This seems a rather variable plant. The basal portion of a leaf
from the Clarence River specimen has the petiole very short and the rachis densely
fuifmacoouB, furnished with deflexed hooked spinules and with rigid subspiny bristles;.
the basal leaflets (4 in nmnher) are approximate, very narrow, subnlately acuminate,
11-30 cm. long, 12 mm. broad, and bear on their mid-costa 1-4 needle-like, slender,
straight, erect, 4-7 mm. long spines. The specimen from Pine River has a leaf
30 cm. long with 11 leaflets which are devoid of spines on the mid-costa. In the
specimm from Laguna Bay the leaflets are larger than in the above mentioned and
only occasionally a straggling spinule may be seen on their mid-cosla. The fruit I
have described is from the specimen collected by Henderson on the Richmond River,
PLATE 54.—Calamus Muellerii Wettdl. An intermediate portion of the stem with
two entire leaves and the upper portion of a spadix with very young fruit ;
from Diels's No. 8230 in Herb. Berol.
PLATE 55 - C a l a m u s Muellerii B. We.dl. The basal portion of a leaf with 4
leaflet, the spadix and two fruits in the lower right-hand coiner, from the Clarence
River specimen in Herb. Becc.; the partial inflorescence w.th ull-grown tru. and
the seeds, one entire and the two_^ halves^ o^ ono long.tudmally cat through tho
embryo, from the specimea Herb. Kew ; the entire leaf
Drude in Linnjea, xxxix.
from Richmond River
from'-the Pine River spacimen in Herb. Kew.
CAL4MU8 MUELLERII var. MACEOSPKRMUS Wendl.
(1875), 194, pi. II, f. 1,9-11.
OB8ERVATIOS8.—I have not seen a specimen of this variety, of which no special
locality 18 given by its authors, but the dimeiisions of the fruit assigned by them
G. caryotoides] BECOABI. MONOGBAPH Of THE (JENUS CALAMUS .
exactly agree with those I have registered above,
that the fruit of Calamus is somewhat variable i:
maturity.
However it must be remembered
. size according to its degree of
43, CALAMOS CABYOTOIDES All. Cunn. in Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, 212 ( 1st
e d i t . ) and Kunth. Enum. PI, 212; Walp. Ann. iii,
V, 831 ; H. Wendl. & Drude in Linnsea, xxxix, 195 ; Wendl. in Kerck.
Les Palm. 235; Becc. Malesia. i, 88 and ii, 77; Benth. Fl. Austr.
vii, 135; F. V. Muell. Census Austr. PI. 119; Becc. in Rec. Bot Surv.
Ind. ii, 202; Bailey, Queensl. Fl. 1686.
DESCRIPTION.—Slender, scandent. Sheathed stem 5-8 mm. in diam. Leaf-sheath
gibbous above, finely striate longitudinally, furfuraceous in youth, later glabrous,
densely covered with rigid hairs like deciduous spiculic, which afterwards leave a subspiny
tubercled base. Ocrea 5-6 mm. long, almost horizontally truncate, densely
hispid. Leaf•sheath\ flagella slender, filifonu, very finely auuleolate. Leaves short, 25-
40 cm. lone, not cii-riferous; petiole almost obsolete or very short and thick
with a distinct swelling or callus at its axilla ; rachis subtrigonous, bifaced above»
armed irregularly, chiefly on the lower surface, with very small claws and often
sprinkled with black-tipped sub-spiny tubercles ; leaflets very few (6-9 in all) very
it)equidistant, rigidulous papyraceous, rather shiny above, slightly paler beneath ;
the two of the terounal pair are more or less united (sometimes almost to the
apex) and form a broad, furcate flabellum which is cuneate at the base and has
the terminal margin trmicate, sinuous and przemorse ; side-leaflets alternate, oblongspathulate
or more usually elongate-cuneate, [gradually narrowing towards the base
from near the apex, which is also irregularly truncate and prjsmorse; the largest
(the mesial) 15-18 cm. long, 3-4 cm. broad; the lowest approximate, narrower
and shorter, usually divergent or even deflexed, all furni-shed with 5-7 slender cost®
diverging from the buse ; costa3 smooth on both surfaces, the central hardly
stronger than the side ones, and all reaching the apex; transverse veinlets sharp,
approximate and quite continuous; margins acute, more or less furnished with
small and remote spinules. Male and female spadices almost the same and
simply decompound, inserted almost opposite the leaf near tho mouth of the
sheath with a distinct axillary callus, very slender, liagelliform, and terminating
in a filiform aculeolate appendix; primary spathes very narrowly tubular, very
long, and very closely sheathirg, sparsely aculeolate, the lowest slightly flattened
the others cylindrical, obliquely truncate at the mouth; axial portion between two
partial inflorescences very slender and armed externally with small claws. Male
tpadix 1-1-2 m. long, with 6-7 partial inflorescences, nodding, inserted inside their
own spathes; the largest, the lowest, as much as 15 cm. long with 8-9
spikelets on each side; the others gradually smaller ; the upper most reduced
to a few spikelets ; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform, closely sheathing,
unarmed, obliquely truncate and wuh paleaceous cilia at the mouth ; spathels
shortly tubular at the base, suddenly enlarged into a concave limb, striately
veined and prolonged at one side into a spreading acute point ; involucre almost
entirely exserted from its own spathel and attached to the base of tho one above,
cnpuiar, truncate, almost entire or slightly bi-dentate and bi-carinate on the side next
AMN. R O Í , BOT. GAED, CALCUTTA VOL. X I .