210 O P T H E E O T A I BOTANIC GABDEN. CALCUTTA. [(?. CONCÌNNUS
HABiTAT.—First discovered by Sir R. Schomburgh in Siam. (5 specimen in
flower in Herb. Kew), and found there again in fruit by Dr. VVawra at Bangkok
during the voyage of the Austrian man-of-war "Donau" in 1868-71. (Frait
epecimen No. 347 in the ncrb. Vindob.;
Observations.—(7. siamensis appears closely related to C. fascicidatus, from which
ifc differs in the equidistant leaflets and the geminate female flowers at each
spathel~a very rare occurrence in the genus. Other species have spikelets with
4-seriato flowers, but 2 of the series are of ? and two of i flowers. In C.
siamensis, the 4 series are all of ? flowers besides tlie two series of sterile ones.
and the
P l a t e 59.—Calamus siamonsis Becc. A portion of the type-specimen
at Kew with the lower portion of a leaf and of a young fruit spadi
base of anochor spadix in flswer; a detached entire partial inflorescence.
46 Caloios coscinsos Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, 208 (ist edit.) and 332, pi.
116 X; Knnth. Enum. Plant, iii, 207; Walp, Ann. iu, 483
and V 829 ; Grifi. in Mad. Gale. Journ. v, 49 and Palms Brit. India,
59; Kurz in Journ. Asiat. Soc. Ben. xliii, II (1874) 214, pi. xxC;
Hook. i. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 444; Becc, in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii,
20é.
DescRiPTiOîi—Scandent, of moderate size. Leaf-sheaths Leaves
large not cirriferous (not seen entire); petiole ; radns (of the upper
part of the leaf) sprinkled with small brown scales, acutely bifaced above, flattish
below where armed along the middle (up to the apex) with straight rather long
(2-3 cm.) deflexcd spines and marked ^vith the deep impressions left by them ia
the prefolitition ; leaflets numerous, grouped in fascicles of many (at least in the
lower and middle portions of tlie leaf), green even when dry and quite of the
game colom' on both surfaces, shining, with the mid-costa stout and acute above,
also strong, but more obtuse, beneath, sprinkled mainly from the middle upwards
with very small inconspicuous spinules ou both surfaces; secondary nerves 3-4 on
each side of the mid-cnsta, all equally weak, bat one or two of them on each
Bide of the mid-costa sometimes indistinctly tuberculate-spinulou? on both surfaces
or iipon one only; transverse veinlets crowded, sharp, very distinct, interrupted;
margins finely and very appressedly spinulous; the largest leaflets 50-60 cm. long
and 3-3'ô cm. broad, ensiform or elongate-oblanceolate, slightly narrowed at the
base where suddenly plicate, rather suddenly acuminate at thé apex; the uppermost
much shorter and more atteimate at the base; the two of the terminal paii- entirely
free at the base. Mcde spadiz (not seen entire) very large, ultrasupra-decompoimd,
furfuraceous; primary spathe elongate-tubular, unarmed (in the small portion
seen)-,' partial inflorescences forming a panicle 22-25 cm. long with various (about
12) branchlets (primary spikes) of which the lowermost, the largest, are branched
acrain with 7-8 spikelets on each side ; secondary spatlics unarmed, membranous,
¿ y , subscarious, infundibuliform, rather enlarged and loosely sheathing above,
obliquely truncate at the mouth and prolonged at one side into a triangular
f the branchlets narrowly tubular at the
acuminate point ;
the
tertiary
C. concinnus'] BECCABI M O N O G R A P H OF T H E GENUS, CALAMUS. 211
base and suddenly broadened into an infundibular-campanulate truncate entire
limb which is acute at one side; primary or compound spikelets inserted, at the
mouth of their own spathe, callous and with a deep rima at their upper axilla,
the largest, the lowest, 7-8 cm. long with many very delicate secondary
spikelots, each 1-2 cm. long, patent or horizontal, callous in their upper axilla,
gradually decreasing in length and number of flowers from the base upwards ;
t h e largest secondary spikelets with 10-12 very closely packed flowers on
each side; spathels very crowded, bractoiform, doflexed, concavo, ovate, acuto or
acuminate; involucre slightly concave, subcymbiform, clearly formed by two broad
and acute bracts united by their bases, spathels and involucres strongly striiitely
veined. Male /lowers distichous, very small, 2 mm. long, ovate, acute; calyx
membranous, deeply trilobate^; corolla divided into 3 ovate-lanceolato acute segments,
twice as long as the calyx. Femáis spadix (not seen entire) simply decompound ;
partial inflorescences 15-30 cm. long, mth 3-6 spikelets on each side; secondary
spathes iiifundibuliform, membranous, subscarious, ultimately marcescent; spikelets
callous at their upper axilla, 8-12 cm. long, with 18-20 distichous flowers on each
side; spathels furfuraceous, narrowly tubular at the base, suddenly enlarged into a
broad infundihuliform truncate limb; involucrophorum half-exscrted from its own
spathel, laterally adnato to the base of the one above, dimidiately cupular or of the
shape of a swallow's nest, strongly callous at the axilla nost the axis; involucre
cupular, rather deep; areola of the neuter flower broadly ovate or almost circular, with
sharp and raised borders. Female flowers small, ovate, acuto, about 3 mm. long
Fruitiag perianth explanate, its calyx divided down almost to the base into 3 ovato
not distinctly striately veined lobes; the segments of the corolla as long as the lobes
of the calyx, but somewhat narrower. Fruit small, [globose (about 8-9 mm. in diani.),
apicalate; scales in 18 series, of a dirty-straw colour, subshiuing, rather deeply
channelled along the middle with a darker short scaricus not fimbriate tip; margins
narrow, scarious, finely erosely toothed. Seed suborbicular, flattish on tlio raphal
side, with a not very deep circular chalazal fovea, very coarsely and deeply pitted
and tuberded on the convex back; albumen equable; embryo basal.—All parts of
the spadix coverci with a detachable brown indumentum.
Habitat.—Tenasserim iu the Province of Mergui, whero it was gathered by
Heifer on the 8th January 1839 (Nos. 6388, 6394, 6395 Herb. East India Comp.
in Herb. Kew). In Webb's Herbarium at Florence tho male specimen bears the
No. 6395. Kurz quotes for this species also WalHch's No. 8607, which 1 have
not seon.
Obsekvatioks.—The specimens I have examined are in a very fragmentary
condition. Martius describes this Calamus as an erect or almost stcmless species,
but a note by Heifer in the Herbarium at Kew states that it is a common
pdm, climbing on the higher trees and that it is armci with strong and powerful
spiues.
It is Tery [apparently related to C. fmeicnlatm, bom which it differs in the
miici larger leaves and leaSets; in tho spathels with a larger, loose, almost inflated
<Jiy metnbranon« limb: and in tho male spadis being suptadeoomponnd.
Anh. Boy. Bot. Gaud. Calcutta Yol. SI.