2 4 2 ANNALS OF THE EOYAL BOTANIC GABDEN, CALCMTA. [Q. OPACUS,
63. CALÍMDS 0FACU8 Bl. Rumpbia, iii, 60; Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, 336;
Walp. Ann. iii, 486, and v, 830; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat, iii, 123, and in
Journ. de Bot. Neerl. i, 21. and Prodr. Fl. Sum. 256 and De Palmia
27; Becc. in Rec. Bot. SuxT. Ind. ii, 205.
DESCEJPTIOM.—Slender, scandent. ¿ílmífied stein, cm. in diam. Leaf-sJieailis pubescent,
armed with straight, flattened, subulate, pale, unequal, short or 10-15 mm. long and
often obliquely inserted spines. leaf-sheath fiagdta elongate, armed with scattered
soUtary or somewhat irregularly aggregate aculei. Oorea 1-1-5 cm. long, anticously
split and with irregular margins. Leaves not ciri-iferous, about 80 cm. long, petiole
15 cm. in length, flat above, armed at the margins with straight spines, romided
below ' ifher e "(urnished with scattered claws; rachis sparsely floccose-furfuraceous_
bifBced and smooth above and armed beneath, from the middle to the top, with solit
a ry claws which have a black, straight and not very long tip, and in the lower portron
alon.. the middle and at the sides with slender, rather approximate (2-3 cm. apart)
claw's- leaflets very numerous (in one leaf 27 on each side) almost equidistant,
narrowly ensifotm, subulately acuminate; the intermediate ones the largest, 25 cm.
long and 13-16 mm. broad; the upper ones shorter; the two of the terminal pair free
at the base, all tricostulate ; the 3 costie sprinkled above with bristles (3-4 mm. long ,
which beneath are confined to the mid-costa ; margins very appressedly spmnlous;
transverse veinlets very irregdar. Male spaii^ Fem.1. spadi^ elongatei
a g e l l i f o rm ; primary spatheB very narrow, cylindraceous, very closely sheathing, rather
densely armed with| small scattered claws ; partial inflorescences remote (in one speci.
men 30 cm long with 8-9 spikelets on each side); spikelets inserted just at the
month of their own spathes with a distinct axillary callus, " horizontal
" i g h t l y curved, the larger ones, the lowest, 6 - 7 cm. long, with 10-11 flowers on each
Bide- secondary spathes elongate, tubular-infnndibuliform, very narrow at the base,
nnar'med, truncate at the month, prolonged at one side into a triangular acute pomt;
spathols infundibnliform, 4 mm. long, truncate, smooth, not striate; mvolucropberum
cupnlar, laterally adn.te to the base of the spathel above .ts own ; areola of he
neuter flower callen», lunate. Fruitkg perianth very shortly pedicelliform, the calyi
trilobate callous at the base, not striate outside; the corolla with ovate-lanceolate
acute se'gments as long as the calyx. Frmt broadly elhpsoid, 17-18 mm. long and
13-14 S n . in diam., suddenly and shortly beaked; scales in 18 senes, faintly
channelled along the middle, fu.cescont or nmber-brown with a much darker m.rgmal
line which is broader towards the rather elongate point, the margms erosoly toothed.
Seed oblong, 11-5 mm. long and 8-8-5 mm. thick, convex and coarsely pitted or
grooved on the back and with an almost round chalaz.l fovea in tlie centre of the
^ p h a l side; albumen equable; embryo basal.-All parts of the plant acqmre a brown
•colour -when dry.
HABmT-Blume founded this species on specimens collected by Praetorius ia
Sumatra, where it has been found again by me at about 1,700 metres above the
sea on Mount Galang.
0BBERVI.TI0S8.-I haYC wtLtten the description of the stem and leaves mainly
from my specimens, but I have also seen a portion of a leaf and of the spadix
with mature fruit of the typical speclmons of Blume.
C- ¡uridus^ BKCCABI , MONOGÄAPH OF T H E GENUS CALAMP S 243
C. opacvs is closely related to C. Reinviardtii, but is distinct in the not striate
and tubular spathels and in the larger f r u i t ; the leaflets are hardly distinguishable
from those of C. Reinwardtii.
PLATE 79.—Calamus opacus Bl. Portion of the stem with leaf-bases and an
entire flagellum; lower portion of a leaf. The above from a sterile specimen
collected by me in Sumatra. Upper portion of a leaf and an entire partial
inflorescence with two mature fruita; a seed from the rapbal side. From an
authentic specimen of Blume in the Leyden Herbarium.
64. CALAMUS LDKIDUS Becc. in Hook. A. Fl. Brit. Ind. 445 Rec.
Bot Surv. Ind. ii, 206.
DKSCKIPTION.—Scandent, rather slender, of a dirty dark greenisli-btown colour in
t h e different parts when dry. Sheathed stem about 2 cm. in diam, Leaf-shcaths densely
armed with unequal, flattened, rather short (1 cm. long), schistaceous, broad-based,
spreading or slightly deflexed spines, which are solitary and scattered or somewhat
approximate in horizontal lines. Leaf-sheath flagella very long (l'5-2 m.), very
powerfully and densely clawed; the lowest spathe flattened, 2-edged and very
prickly. Leaves not cirriferous, more than 1 m. in lenjjth; petiole rather short
{10-15 cm. long), flattish above, prickly at the margins and moro or less also
beneath; rachis sparsely armed beneath in its lower portion with many small
scattered solitary claws, which are larger and confined only to along the middle in
its upper portion where it is bifaced above; leaflets equidistant, remote (4-6 cm»
apart), not very numerous, papyraceous, shining above, almost of the same colour on
both surfaces, ensiform, gradually attenuate at the base, long-acuminate into a subulate
bristly-ciliate apex, with 3 very distinct costffi which are bristly-spinulous above,,
naked and less prominent beneath; the largest, the intermediate ones, 35-40 cm.
long, l ' 5 - 3 ' 5 cm. broad; the upper ones somewhat shorter; the two of the terminal
pair 20-25 cm. long, shortly connate at the base and bristly-penicillate at the
apex; margins very inconspicuously appressedly spinulous; transverse veinlets very
fine, sinuous, interrupted. Male spadix Female apadix moro or less
supradecompound (always ?), very long, flagelliform, with many remote monoecious
(always ?), partial inflorescences, which have the spikelets with every female
flower accompanied as usual by a neuter one in their lower part and only male
flowers on the terminal spikelets or on some of the secondary ones; the inflorescences
are pyramidate, arise erect from their spathe and then are spreading
and arched, branched at the base and with simple spikelets in their upper
part, and terminate in a spikelet (with male flowers) larger than the eide
ones; the largest inflorescences 30-40 cm. long, with 2-3 branchlets on each,
side near the base and 8-10 simple spikelets (also on each side) upwards; upper
primary spathes tubulai'-cylindraceous, very elongate, closely sheathing, strongly
atiiately veined, longitudinally armed chiefly on the outer side with numerous scattered
claws, naked at the mouth and prolonged at one side into a triangular acute
point; secondary spathes elongate-infundibuliform, rather considerably narrowed to the
base, finely striately veined, longitudinally unarmed or furnished with 1-2 straggling
prickles on the back, truncate, entire, and finely ciliolate (at least -when young) at
t h e mouth, prolonged at one side into an elongate, triangular, subulate tip, which is
ASN. EOI. BOT. GARD. CALCUTTA VOX,. X I .