280 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTAKIO GARDEN, CALCUTTA. soHoifoUuS,
short or obsolete; racliis flat near the base and bifaced upwards above, where
throughout ita length more or leas furnished along the middle -with a line of small,
remote, rigid, straight, black-tipped slender spines, convex underneath, where armed
with black-tipped, solitary, comparatively strong and rather long claws; leaflets small
and few, pointing in different directions, distinctly grouped into 5 - 6 remote fascicles
of 4-6, these formed by 2-3 leaflets on each side o£ the rachis which arc
divergent and almost in contact by their bases; the fascicles of one side 5 - 6 cm. apart
and subopposito to those of the other side; the largest leaflets, those of the basalgroups,
5 - 1 0 cm. long, 8 - 1 5 mm. hroad, the others gradually smaller, the two of
the terminal pair only 2-3 cm. in length, free at the base; all very rigid, thinly
coriaceous, dull, light-green and snb-glaucescent on both surfaces, finely greyfurfuraceous
beneath, lanceolate, equally narrowed to both ends, acute and pHcate
at the base, where more or less callous at their insertion, the apex acute or subobtuse,
the mid-tiosta acute and furnished above with 1 - 5 erect, needlo-hke, black, rigid spines,
smooth and not prominent beneaih; side-nerves very slender, naked on both surfaces;
margins ciliate, chiefly near the apes, with rigid patent spinules; transverse vcinlets
rather sharp and much interrupted in the upper surface, indistinct beneath. Male
spadix simply decompound, about as long as the leaves, rigid, erect, not cirriferous,
with few [4 in one specimen) partial inflorescences; primary spathes tubular, narrow
closely sheathing and sparingly prickly in their lower portion, somewhat enlarged
and loose above, where open longitudinally on the ventral side and terminating in
an elongate, lanceolate, subaiuiculiform, acute, essuccous, reddish-brown (not lacerated)
limb; the lowest primary spathe not diS'ering from the others, only larger
and with a flattened spinous acutely two-edged base; partial infloresceoces
short, rather dense, pyramidate, issuing erect from and balf-embraced by their
respective spathes; the lower ones, the largest, 4-5 cm. long with very few
( 4 - 5 on each side), speedily decreasirg subscorpioid spikelets ; secondary spathes
apparently concrete with the axis of the inflorescence, fi-ee at th« summit where bracteiform
and acufo at one side ; spikelets subscorpioid, the lower ones, the largest, with
two slightly unilateral series of 8-10 approximate flowers each; spathels bractoiform,
triangular, acute, deflexed; involucre almost horizontally subtended by its own spathel,
almost flat, obsoletely 3-toottied. Male flower» ovoid, somewhat irregular by mutual
pressure. Female spadix very similar to the male, rigid, erect, about as long as the
leaves, not cirriferous, with 3—4 partial inflorescences and with a small tail-like fililorm
aculeolate appendix at its apex; primary sjjathes exactly as in the male spadix;
partial inflorescences shoit, rigid, issuing erect from their own spathe, and then,
patent, panicled-pyramidate, with 4—6 spikelets on each side, slightly unilateral
and somewhat turned upwards, and terminated by a recurved and subscorpioid
spikelet; the lowest spikelets usually branched at their base and the upper cnes speedily
decreasing in length and number of flowers; the axis of the inflorescences relatively
thick, more or less angular; secondary spathes concrete with the axis, bractoiform at
their summit and acute at one side; spikelets inserted above the mouth of their owa
spathels with a distinct swollen axillary callus, arched-subscorpioid, the lower ones 15-20
mm. long with 10-14 flowers in all, those of the summit with 4 - 6 flowers only; spathels
broad, bracteiform, acute at one side, pushed down by the flowers; involucrophorum and
involucrum subconform, flat; involucie with a large round scar in the centre and a
narrow subcircula-^ obscurely-toothed limb; areola of the neuter (or mala and fertile
C. ietradacty/us.] beccabi. Mo^'oGEAPH op t h e genus c^iLAMua. ggj
flower very depressed, linear. Female /lowers disposed in two collateral series (not
flatly bifarious) and pointing upwards, ovate, 3 mm. long; the calyx coarsely
stnately veined, flat at the base with a short tube, teeth Very broadly triangular
acute; the corolla one-third longer than the calyx, divided into 3 ovate, apiculat^
segments; filaments of the stamens united at the base into a ring which is crowned
by 6 triangular subulate t^eth. Neuier (or fertile and male?) flowers 3-3'5 mm long
ovate-lanceciate; the calyx deeply divided into 3 concave broad lobes; the corolla
twice as long c,s the calyx, narrow and tubular at the base, divided into 3 oblong
segments; the stamens with sagittate, acute, apparently well-formed and fertile
anthers. Frmly perianth shortly pedicelliform. IV^ii (when not quite ripe) globular,
10 mm. in diam., topped by a short stout beak; scales in 18 series, yellowish,
subshmmg, broader than long, with a very obtuse or round point and a reddish.
browD, more or less distinct marginal line, the margins erosely toothed. Seed
piSiform, irregularly globose; albumen equable; embryo basal,
HABITAT.-Cochincliina: discovered by L. Pierre at Tong-Keon near Sai<^on
in February ISSa, Fierre No. 4853; also at Saigon, on the banks of the rfver'
Germain (1879) in Herb. Dclessert and Godefroy-Lehmuf (1874) in Herb Kew mall
specimen. '
O b s e e v a t i o n s . -A small bushy not seandent species, very distinct by its short
eaves with o-6 fascicles of segments of the shape and size of certain willow
leaves or of those of the oKve tree, with the mid-costa furnished above with a
few, relatively long, strong and black spine«. It is also very unusual for the
female flowers to be accompanied by a well-developed and apparently fertile male
This seems a non-cirriferous specie., derived from the cirriferous ones of - o un
X V ; it is therefore artificially placed in group V. ^ ^
Platic 103.-Calamu3 sahcifolius Beec. The summit of a stem bearinrr a spadix
with not quite jnatui-e f r u i t . - F r om Fierre No. 4833 in Herb. Beccari.
CALAMUS SAI.ICIFOLIUS var. LEIOPHYLLUS Becc.
DicsCBIPTiON-.-Diflers from the typo only in the leaflets bei»g almost without spines
0,1 the imd-costo and with the margins quite smooth or very remotely spinulous.
IlABiTiT.-Coohiiichina: Caiupong Chuong in Camhoja, Otto Kuntse No 3995 in
Herb. Kew.
86. Calamos TEmADACTYLns Hance in Journ. Bot. siii, 1873 289- Eof '
Eec. Bot. SurT. Ind. ii, 206. ' ' ""
DESCKIPTIOir.-Slelider, not very high scandent. Sheathed stem 6-10 mm in
diam. Leaf-,heatla faintly gibbous above, wholly unarmed or Tory scantily amed
with horizontal or shghtly dofloxed palo straight 8-10 mm. lon=- spines whioh
loave a deep impression on the sheath. Ocrea 5-6 mm. long, oaucoons, 'smooth
truncate and glabrous at the mouth. Leaf-,heath Jl.gelta aliform, slender, rather
Amn. Eoy. Bor. Gard. Calcutta Vol. XL