2 24 AUNAIS OP THE BOYAL BOTASIO GASDIH, CALCüTTi. [O. pseudo-temiis
horizontal or sliglitly dcflexed, scattered and distant, or very crowded; one straight
very long spine usnally stands on each side of tlio nioutli at the base ot the ocrea.
Ocrea very large, in young leaves even 10 cm. in length, fugacionsly fortaaceous,
Irown not spincns, pergamentaceous, entire, and not fibrous or filamentous at t hs
mavgin Leaves not cirriferous, probably about 1'5 m. long (judging from the
portions seen by me) ; petiole short (about l o cm. long), flat and smooth above,
armed at the margins with long and straight spines, rounded below, where the
spines am scattered, short and more or less hooked; lachis bifacod above, rounded
beneath in its first portion where armed, especially at the sides, with some scattered,
very long (even 4 cm.) needle-lite, flat, straight, horizontal or defiexed spines which
point in diflorent directions, mostly soHtary, sometimes geminate with a tendency to
change alon«- the middle into claws, especially towards the apex, where the rachis is
fiattisb and "the claws are more numerous and not seldom terminate in a rather long
and suddenly deSexed point; leafiels pale-green and opaque when dry, slightly paler
beneath linear-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, gradually acuminate at the apex,
where more or lees indented on t h e lower margin, somewhat attenuate and suddenly
contracted and plicate at the base, rather closely set, equidistant, almost regularly
alternate or sub-opposite throughout the entire leaf; the larger ones, tlioK near the
L s e in vigorous specinons 35-15 cm. long and 2 cm. m width; the upper ones
gradually shorter but of the same breadth, less acuminate, and more or less bristly-
L i o i l l a t e at the apex; the two of the terminal pair free at the base, much smaller
iban the others, 10-12 cm. long, 10-15 mm. broad; all with three more or less
bristlv-sninulons costa-, above; the sido costa very weak; bono.th only the mid-costa
aringly bristly mainly near the apex; margins very appressodly spmnlose or almost
smooth transverse veinlets rather faint, much interrupted. Male ¡fadn very long,
flasellif'oim, ultra-iccomponnd, with many remote partial iniorescer.ces; pnm.ry spathos
t L « r very Ion-, closely sheathing; the lowest flattened, acutely two-keeled, armed
with scattered, straight, horizontal, mostly short spines; the intermediate ones slightly
compressed, not keeled; the upper ones cylindraceons, obliquely truncate and entire
at t L morth, where prolonged at ono side into a short triangular point; armed in
their upper part with broad-based deflexed prickles and on the back oi their attenuated
axial portion with strong half-whorled claws; partial inflorescences remote, very
1 f30-40 c m ) with 6 - 9 distichons compound spikes on each side; secondary
r . L s verv n a m w l v tubnlar-intundibulifoim, rather elongate, attenuate at the base,
1 - 1 truncate at tho mouth, whore prolonged a t ono side
; ° t r á »ilnZTar ac;te poini, which is usually scaly-ciliate a. the margins;
compound s p L s narrow, fie.uose, arched downwards 12-14 cm. long with 12 . 5
V small ( 1 0 - 1 5 mm. long at most) very tew-flowered, scorpmid spikelots ; often the
¡ ^ p o n n d spikolets have the appearance of simple spikelets with a glomerido of flowers
t e a c h spathel- tertiary spathos tuhular-inlundibuliform; spathels very short, bractei-
L m scale-like'concave, broadly ovate-acuminate; involucre usually shallowly cupular,
L n c ' a t c posticonsly two-keeled, but sometimos divided into two ovate, acute, strongly
« r i a t e l v veined scale-like bracts. Mak tmer, 2-10 cn each side of the spikolets,
very approximate, very small, about 3 mm. long, ovate; tho calyx trilobate, striately
veined outside; the corolla about t ™ e as long as the calyx, divided down almost to
tie base into three ohlong segments polished externally; the stamens united by
6 ' . pseudo-tenuisj BECCAJU. MONOGEAPH OP THE GEKUS CALAMUS. 225
their bases, subulate, shortly inflected at the apex when in bud, their anthers versatile,
elongate-sagittate, rather acute; the rudimentary ovary very small, reaching
little above the base of the filaments. Female apadix similar to tho male one, but
simply decompound; primary spathes as described above; partial inflorescences very
long, 80-90 cm. long and sometimes more, with 8 - 9 distichous spikelets on each side,
with a straight slender 8 - 1 0 cm. long aculeolate appendix at its apex; secondary
spathes about 5 cm. long, sparsely acnlcolate or smooth; attenuate at the base
where concave on the inner side, convex externally and prolonged at the apex
into a triangular acute point; spikelets flexuose, slender, patent and ultimately
horizontal and slightly arched, not or very shghtly callous in theh- axilla, insetted
just at the mouth of their respective spathes, 15-27 cm. long, with 12-23 flowers
on each side, or even shorter and with fewer flowers; spathels infnndihuliform, truncate,
smooth acute at one side; involucrcphornm very short subcupular, attached to and
n e a r i y ' e x c a v a t e into the base of the spathel above its own; involucre small, shallowly
ounnlar sli-htly projecting from the invomorophorum; areola of the neuter flower
deprossedly lunate, callous, very sharply bordered. flo„er, small, 3 mm.
lone- the calyx divided into three subcoriacoous ovate-acute lobes; the corolla as long
as the calyx its segments ovate-acuto; the filaments of the stamens highly connate
bv their has'es, shortly dentiform in tho free portion. MeuUr jl„,r> very similar
to the fertile ones and only a little smaller. Fruitm, penanti almost explanate (not
pedicelliform) but with the c a l yx slightly callous at tho base. Frui, (when not
L r f e c t l y mature) 10 mm. long, 7 mm. broad, ovate or rather subobovoid, somewhat
L e r i n e towards the base and rather suddenly beaked at the apex; scales in 18
J i e s poKshed, convex, not channelled along the middle, straw-yellow at their base
with a broad chestnut-brown triangular point; margms finely erosely toothed. Seed
iimmatare) snhrfobose ; albumen equable.—The young parts of the spadij, the petiole
and le.f-rachis°aie covered with a rusty-brown or tawny, easily removeable indnmentnm.
HABITAT—Ceylon: in the hottest parts of the island, as at Balangodde and at
Matetto 0. P . No. 2 3 3 5 in Herb. Kew. Petrop., etc. In the Indian
Peninsula- near Madras, G. TMrnm.; Cochin, W « « No. 2759; Annamally and
?Tn™Mah Wi,U No. 2758 in Herb. Kew., Petrop., Webb and Vmdob.
^adooputt h, ^^^ Kew.; Gudalees Ghat, at
f e ^ T m , ! - ; Goodaloor, UOO m., Wynaad, C. 0,ar,e in Horb. Beco.
0BSIIIIVATL0SS.-C. f,eudo-imms is distinguished at once from C. Umi, by i t.
exolnnate not pedicelliform perianth; i t . nearest affinities are perhaps with C. vmwah,
W M om which it differs in the equidistant leaflets, clawed leatrachis, ovmd fruit
r onsider as type-specimens of C. pseudo-tenuie those from Ceylon distributed
bv Thwaites The continental specimens may be considered as belonging to a special
I g r a p h i c a l form; they have more elongate male sp.dices and more remote and
longer partial inflorescences; one of these is 90 cm. long with 9 compound spikes on
eacS side, each spike bearing 30-40 spikelets in all. Another is only 45 cm w,fh
12 compound spikes. In the female spadix and in the leave. I cannot find ths
slightest diflerenco between the continental and the insular specimens.
AMU. KOV BOT. GABD. CALCUTTA YOL. X I .