27T5 ANNALS OP THE ROYAL BOTANIC GABDE.V, CALCUTTA. [Q, DELESSERTIONUS.
inflorescences arising erect from their own spathe, then arclied, densely panicled,
elongate-oToid, one of the lowest about 30 cm. long, with 13 spikelets on each side
•of these the lower ones compound, viz., branched ioto a few secondary spikelets, the
others gradually diminishing, the intermediate ones 6-8 cm. long, with 12-14 flowers
on each side, those of the summit 2-3 em. only; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform,
truncate, apiculate at one side and densely ciliate with brown deciduous
bristles at the mouth; spiiielets spreading or horizontal, attached sUghtly outside the
month of their own spathe, their axis slender, cylindraceous, 1-2 mm. thick ; spathels
cyliudraceous at the base, suddenly expanded into a short broadly infundibuliform
truncate limb, which is ciliate at the mouth at the secondary spathes; involucrophorum
attached laterally outside its own spathel at the base of the one abore, very
short, subdiscoid, with a naiTow annular limb; inyolacre discoid, tumescent, with a
verj' narrow annular limb; areola of the neuter flower not very distinct, depressed.
Fruilini; perianth shortly but distinctly pedicelliform; the calyx broadly 3-dentate,
callous at the base; the segments of the corolla almost twice as long as the calyx,
Fndt small, broadly ovate, mucronulate, 10-11 mm. long, 8 mm. broad; scales shining,
rather convex, not channelled along the middle, very pale with a naiTow intramai--
ginal fuscous line; margins narrowly searioua, finely erosely-toothed. Seed ovoid,
slightly flattened, 7 mm. long, 6 mm. broad, 5 mm. thick, convex, coarsely irregulai-ly
and superficially pitted on the back; chalazal fovea superficial, indistinct; albumen
•equable; embryo basal.—Other parts unknown. The different parts of the plant
retain, in Herbarium specimens, a greenish, almost glaucescent hue.
HABITAT.—Toakin at Taukeiun near Zuang-yen, Balansa (No. 516 in Herb,
St. Petersb. and Herb. Kew), collected OQ loth September 1885.
OBSERVATIONS.—Known by the very fragmentary fruit specimens distributed by
Balansa. Distinct by its bushy not scaudent habit; the leaves with numerous equidistant
ensiform .3-costate leaflets; the leaf-rachis armed with straight long deflexed
spines; the supradecompound female spadix with panicled, rather dense partial
inflorescences; the small ovoid fruit. Its affinities, however, are not very apparent; it
has somewhat the facies of C. fasciculaHs.
PLATE 100.—Calamus tonkineiisis Becc, An intermediate portion of a leaf (upper
surface); portion of the spadix with an entire partial inflorescence bearing mature
f r u i t ; detached seeds, one longitudinally cut through the embryo.—The parts
mentioned above constitute the entire type-specimen in the St. Petersburg Herb.
83. CALAMUS DELESSEKTIANUS Becc, sp. n.
DESCRIPTION.—Probably scaadent and of moderate size. Stem Zeaftheatha
Leaves rather large ; petiole oO ; rachis in its upper portion
subtrigonous, slightly convex beneath, where armed along the middle and near the
margins with rather strong, numerous, solitary, light-based and black-tipped not much
hooked claws, bifaced on the upper surface, where armed with ascendent spinules on
the angle; leaflets in the small portion seen by me (8 cm. of rachis, probabJy taken
from above the middle) equidistant, rather closely set at an angle of about 46° (4
on one of the sides and 3 on the other), papyraceous, rigidulous, elongate-ensiform,
•C. Delessertianus.'] BECCAHI. MONOGEAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 277
32-35 cm. long, 20-Í2 mm. broad, rather suddenly narrowed at the base, callous at
the insertion in their upper axilla next to the axis, and in the small cavity formed
underneath by the folding of the base of the leaflets where they are rusty-furfuraceous,
•quite glabrous on the remainder, pale-green when dry and subconcolorous on both
surfaces, shining above, opaque beneath, long and gradually narrowed into a slightly
bristly and not very acuminate tip, this rather deeply indented on its lower margin,
sub-5-C()8tate, or with 3 acute costae in the centre and a rather distinct secondary
nerve on each side of them; further another secondary nerve runs alongside the
lower margin ; on the upper surface the 3 main costae are furnished with long
bulbous bristles, which are less numerous on the uiid-costa than on the side ones and
are brown at their base and lighter upwards ; the other two nerves are usually naked
but sometimes also spinulous ; on the lower surface the nerves are all less prominent
than above and only the mid-costa is bristly ; transverse veiulets not very conspicuous
; margins closely spinulous throughout and contrary to the rule the spinules
more spreading, closer and stronger near the base than towards the sunmiit; sometimes
a small spinule occurs at the base of the mid-costa in the upper surface as in
C. tenuis. Male spadix Female spadix probably rather large, not seen entire;
in one specimen of a partial inflorescence with a primary spathe, this coriaceous, palegreen
even when dry, fubular-cylindraceous, closely sheathing, slightly enlarged above
where liplit on one side, truncate and naked at the mouth, slightly prolonged at one
side into a triangular keeled point; its surface almost polished and glabrous, smooth
lower down and rather densely armed in its upper portion with very small, very short,
broad-based, horiaontal or. slightly hooked prickles which are more numerous near the
•summit; the partial inflorescence is attached inside near the mouth of its spathe, arising
•erect at first, then spreading, 30 cm. long, with 13 distichous spikelets on eacii side ;
secondary spathes tubular-infandibuliform, loosely sheathing, covered with a rustyfurfuraceous
removeable scurf, unarmed, horizontally truncate at the mouth, where
(during anthesis) closely ciliately paleaceous, not or indistinctly apieulate on one
side; spikelets inserted just at the mouth of their respective spathes, with a distinct
axillary callus, rather slender but rigid, arched, spreading or deflexed, the 2-3 which
are neai- the base slightly branched, the next above these about 6 cm. long with
about 20 flowers on each side, the others gradually diminishing, those of the summit 2
cm. in length with only 8-9 flowers on each side; spathels very shortly asymmetrically
infundibuliform, striately veined, trunoato and ciliolate at the margin, prolonged
at one side into a broad acute deflexed point; involucrophorum almost exsert from its
own spathel, attached laterally at the base of the one above, subbracteiform, subannular,
unilaterally evolute, flattish; involucre like the involucrophorum but evolute on the
opposite side. Female Jlowers very regularly bifarious, rather approximate, inserted at an
angle of 45°, about 3 mm. long, subcylindraceoua or slightly conic; the calyx tubular,
flat, smooth and callous at the base, its tube strongly striately veined with 3 short
broad acute teeth; the segments of the corolla acute, slightly longer than the calyx;
the stigmas recurved lamellose. Neuter flowers slender, as long as the female ones but
with the corolla twice as long as the calyx.—Other parts unknown.
HABITAT.—This fine species is probably a native of the southern provinces of the
Indian peninsula. In the Herb. Delesaert it is labelled " C. gracilis Roxb.; Ind. Orient.,
Dr. Roxburgh,"