272 ANNALS OF THE EOTAL BOTANIC G-ARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. Rotang.
also iu the southern part of the Indian peninsula, the type-specimens must be considered
as those coming from Ceylon. In these I have always found the leaflets with
the niid-costa without bristles in tlieir upper surEacc and usually also devoid of the
spinule which is always present in the continental specimens. Perhaps also in these
last the male flowers are slightly longer, but otherwise I have been unable to find
any differences between the Ceylon and the Indian specimens. Eoxburgh has
described C. Eoiang on specimens coming from the Coromandel coast, and on these
Griflith had established Ids C. Boxhirghii, a name which in any case ought to be
assigned to the continental form of C. Rofamj, if it were possible to discover specific
differences between that and the Ceylon plants.
Following Blume I am of opinion that 0. monoiais is exactly the same thing as
C. iiotavrf {G. Roxhurghii Griff.), since evidently Plate cxii (cxcii' which is taken
from a drawing of Roxburgh (see Griffith, 1. c. p. is), reproduces the C. momicns of
this author and is a rather good representation of the ? plant of C. Rolang. I consider
also as belonging to C. Eotang the other jjlate of Griffith's work No. cxcv A,
published with the name of C. faacictilulus which is also reproduced from a drawing of
Roxburgh. The likeness of the two plates is evident ; (mly this last apparently
represents a dioecious plant, as there has been added a female partial inflorescence
where the companion flower at each spathel, usually sterile in the other species of
Calamus, is here apparently fully developed and expanded, while in the other
inflorescences the companion flower had fallen and only the female flowers and ovaries
in course of developeuient are to be seen on it. As that plate in the work of
Griffith was meant to represent C. fasciculatus, the clustered arranfreaient oi the leaflets
has probably been exaggerated in the reproduction; doubtless also the deep indentations
on the margins of the leaflets, a peculiarity not observed in any of the species of
Calamis known to me, are fanciful. I have not seen living plants of C. Jlotang, and
in the specimens of these species at ray disposal I have not observed female partial
inflorescences where the companion flov/cr of the female flower was expanded as
would appear to be the case with C. Roiunfj, judging from the plata quoted above.
I n all the species of Calamus seen by me the companion flower, though sometimes
fairly developed, remains closed, but I do not see any impossibility that in
C, Rotang, and perhaps in some other species, that flower may be so well formed
as to expand its corolla.
Most certainly C. monoicu» is nothing more than the male plant of C. Rotang at
the moment when the female and the companion flower (male or neuter ?) are on
the spadix.
I may mention that I never have had occasion to observe an absolutely moncccious
specieu of Calamus, or one which never produces exclusively male spadices. I have,
however, observed in C. hridus and perhaps in some other species that the female
inflorescences sometimes produce at their extremities a few spikelets with male flowers
only.
C, Eotang greatly resembles C. tenuit, from which, however, it is very clearly
distinct, by its leavea almost without petiole and with unicostate leaflets; the fruit
C. WalkerHr\ BECCAEI. MONOGEAPH OP THE GENUS CALAMUS. 27S
also, though externally very similar in the two, has the seed globular in C. tenuis and
flattened or sublenticular in C. Rotang. The 2 spikelets of G. Rotang have the asis
slightly zig-zag sinuous, the spathels rather elongate and therefore the flowers rather
lemote and the involucrophorum not at all pedicelliform; its male flowers are of the
usual kind, spreading and bifarious in flattened spikelets, and in tho female spikelets,
the companion or sterile , flower is divaricate or makes a wide angle with the female
one; and consequently the female spikelets, even when young, never have the flowers
arranged in four series as in C. tenuis.
P l a t e 79.—Calamus "Rotang Linn. Portion of a sheathed stem with bases of the
leaves, summit of a leaf and malo spadix, from a specimen originally coming from
Ceylon and cultivated at Buitenzorg (Herb. Becc.); an intermediate portion of a
leaf (upper surface); the summit of a fruit spadix; mature fruit and seed, one of
these longitudinally cut, from a specimen gathered by Gamble in tho Chingieput
district, Madras Presidency (Herb. Becc.).
Calamcs "WáLKEEii Hance in Journ. Bot. xii (1874), 266 ; Becc.
Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 206.
Kec.
Description.—Probably scandent and of moderate size. Stem and leaf-sheath»
Leaves pefiolate, not cirriferous, 1-1'30 m. long (Honce); rachis in
its intermediate and terminal portion trigonous, smooth and acutely bifaced above,.
fl;attish beneath, where armed chiefly along the middle with rather stout straight
or slightly curved, somewhat deflexed black-tipped spines, which sometimes are even
2 cm. long ; leaflets very numerous, equidistant, alternate ov subopposite, 22-21
mm. apart, yellowish-green, concobrous on both surfaces, ensiform, attenuate and
deeply plicate at the base, gradually acuniinate from about the middle into a
subulate iarid bristly apex, superficially indented on the lower margin near the summit,
with 3 distinct costae, these acute and furnished with long bristles on the upper
surface and usually naked beneath ; secondary neiwes slender, rather numerous and
rather distinct on both stiifaces, always naked ; margins remotely and appressedly
spinulous, somewhat thickened by secondary nerves; transverse veinlets rather distinct
above, very crowded ; the largest leaflets (amongst those seen by me) 38 cm. long,
25 mm. broad (Hance gives 8-20 inches by 6-13 lines); the upper ones shorter;
the two of the terminal pair united by their bases. Male spadix Female
spadix decompound, elongate, prolonged into a terminal flagellum which is strongly
armed with half-whorled claws; primary spathcs tubular, closely sheathing, the lowest
acutely two-kseled and irregularly armed at th"? base with very variabh spines; the
upper ones more or less clawed, very obliquely truncate and extended at one side at the
mouth into a bristly-penicillate tip ; partial inflorescences few (2—4, Hance", erect,
rather compact, pyramidate, the larger ones about 20 cm. long and furnished distiohously
on each side with 18-20 a))proximate, gradually but speedily shortening
spikelets; secondary spathes short, cylindraceous, truncate at the mouth and prolonged
at ono bide into an elongate bristly tip; spikelets inserted just above the mouth of
tbcir own spathe with a distinct axillary callus, horizontal, filiform, slightly-arched; the
largest, the lower ones of each inflorescence, 6-7 cm. long with 15-16 distichouB
A s n . S o t . B u t . Gabd. C a l c u t i a Vol. XI.