2 8 4 ANN.II;S OF THE EOYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA, [Q. ACONTHOSPATFIUS.
-or less elongate acicular point. Ocrea very short, liguliform, axillary, triangular,
exsuccous, glabrous. Leaves large, up to 1-5 m. long, not cirriferons; petiole (of
the upper part of the adult plant) 8-10 cm. long or almost obsolete; and, like
the first portion of the rachis, robust, up to 1-5-2 cm. in width, flattish above
where more or less covered with small scattered very short {1-3 mm. loog) spines, its
r e or less armed with small straight spines, convex and smooth
in the intermediate portion rigid, robust, obsoletely angulate
id there witii a few prickles ; in the upper portion trigonous,
iiooth above and more or less partially armed beneath at a
with biack-tipped and stout cluws; leaflets relatively not very
not grouped and nevor in paii-s on a side, the
nearly so; the pairs 8-10 cm. apart, from the
3 distant than the lower ones ; 3-5 approximate at
' lal p:úr quite free at the baso, somewhat shorter
margins subobtuse, n
•beneath ; the rachis
and fui-nished hero i
acutely bifaced aud
distance of 3-4 cm.
numerous, inequidistant, .solitary,
lower ones usually opposite or
middle upwards alternate and le:
the summit; the two of the terr
than the other; all more or less narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, almost equally narrowed
to both ends, acute and many-plicate at the base, gradually acuminate at the summit
into a bristly-penicillate tip, concolorou.^ and green on both surfaces even when dry,
papyraceous, rather thin in texture, usually with aix, more rarely 5-7 acute but
rather .slender costae, the mid-costa slightly the strongest and not quito central all
sprinkled with a few short bristly spinules or quite smooth ; beneath all nerves fainter
naked ;
and
otherwise
very
mediate
usually 25-30 cm.
the mouth of the
even more),rigid
nodd
erse veinlets very sharp ; margins finely oil ¡ato at the summit,
mtely spiuulous or almost smooth; the lai-gest leaflets, the interto
45 cm. long and 5-6 CDI. broad in vigorous specimens, but
by 4-5 cm. Mule tpadiz ultradecompound, attached laterally near
sheath with a more or less distioct calks, very long (3 m. and
re), rigid, erect and stout in its basal portion, slender flagelliform and
upwards, terminating in a very long thong; this loosely sheathed with
tubular flattened often split spathes which are smooth or very scantily armed with
small scattered claws; primary spathes elongate, tubular, terminating in an acutely
carínate triangular point, the lowest thickly coriaceous, somewhat flattened, with the
edges acute and armed with straight horizootal short spines, otherwise smooth, its
apex triangular and acutely keeled on the back ; the upp3r spathes moro cylindraceous,
somewhat enlarged above, usually split longitudinally on the inner side, smootli or
•sparingly prickly and with a broad triangular apex ; partial inflorescences relatively to
the length of the spadix few (5-6), attached inside the moath of theii- owji spathes,
gradually smaller from the base of the spadix upwards, the lowest 50-60 cm. in
length, forming large loose pyramidate-cupressiform panicles with numerous branchlets
or compound spikelets in their lower portion and simple spikelets towards the summit,
which terminates in a spikelet longer than the side < ) n e s ; secondary spathes tubularinfimdibuliform,
rather short, unarmed, obliquely truncate, naked and entire at the
mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular distinctly apiculate point; the branchlets
and spikelets inserted at or above the mouth of the spathes with a distinct axillary
callus; lower branchlets elongate with many rudimentary or few-flowered spikelets at
their base; spikelets of very unequal length, 6-7 cm, long at most, and with 8-10
rather remote, horizontally inserted flowers on each side ; spathels with a suddenly
expanded bracteiform, broad, concave, patent or deflexed limb ; involucre laterally
attached to the axis of the spikelet between two spathels, shortly but neatly cupular,
C. acanthospathus.'j BECCABI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS.
truncate, obsoletely 2-toothed next to the axis; in the lower part many of tlie
spikelets subpedicelliform representing rud; imentary branchlets. Male Jlowers ovate
(when young); the Ciilyx strongly striately veined. Female spadix decompound or
partly ultradecompound, rather rigid, r 3 - 2 m. long, move or iess distinctly flageiliferoua
at its summit and with many partial inflorescences ; primary spathes tubular, closely
sheathing ; the lowest about 20 cm. long, rather thickly coriaceous, somewhat flattened,
usually armed on the rather acute edges, chiefly near the base, with pectinate spines
and on the faces, especially in the upper part, with short conic spines; the upper
primary spathes cyHndraceous, slightly enlarged above, more or less split longitudinally,
prolonged at one side into a short triangular acute point, attenuate but rather stout
and subcylindraceous or somewhat compressed at tho base, where not rarely clawed
oil the back, otherwise smooth or slightly armed ; partial inflorescences relatively short
and dense, rigid, panicled, rather remotely inserted near the mouth of their own
epatho, at first ascendent, then arched, decreasing in size from the base of the
spadix upwards; the largest, the lowest, sometimes slightly decompound or with their
lowest spikelets branched ; in vigorous specimens 20-30 cm. long and with 5-6
spikelets on each side and with a spikelet larger than the side ones at Iheir
summit; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform, very closely sheathing, rather .short,
nicely truncate and entire at the mouth and shortly apiculate at one side ; spikelets
attached above the mouth of their own spathe, slightly callous at the axilla and witli
a distinct transverse lima, spreading, arched, rigid, rather stout and relatively short;
the larger ones, the lowest, 5-7 cm. long with 10-14 flowers in all, these not
exactly on one plane but somewhat subunilaterally arranged in two collateral series
and turned upwards; spathels shortly tubular-infundibuliform, truncate, entire and
acute at one side ; involucrophorum exsert from its own spaihel and laterally attached
to the base of the one above, shallowly cupular with a small axillary callus and a
transverse rima nost to the axis ; involucre regularly cupular with entire truncate
margin ; areola of the neuter flower superficial, often obsolete and marked by a small
punctiform scar. Female flower» ovate, rather distant, 5-6 mm. apart, rather large
(5 mm. long) ; the calyx campanulate, obsoletely veined, its teeth superficial, very
broad, acute ; corolla divided down almost to the middle into 3 ovate-acute faintly
veined segments, which are a good deal narrower than the lobes of the calyx and
about as long; stamens with the filaments united by their bases as high as the
undivided portion of the corolla and forming a cup, then suddenly subulate.
Fruiting perianth pedicelliform, thick and short (3-3-5 mm. long). Fruit broadly
ovoid, suddenly narrowed at the summit iuto a small conic beak, caudiculate at the
base, 24-25 mm. long, including the beak and the perianth, 14-15 mm. in diam. ;
tho scales of an uniform cinnamon-brown colour, in 15 series, rhomboid, about as
long as broad, superficially but distinctly channelled along the middle, almost shining
but trader the lens very minutely scabridulous; the tip rather obtuse and ciliately
fringed, the margins finely ciliolate. Seed ovoid-oblong, rounded at both ends, convex
and very deeply pitted on the back, flattish and with a deeply penetrating elliptic
chalazal fovea on the raphal side; albumen subruminate or with rather deep intrusionB
of the integument of the seed ; embryo basal.
HABITAT,—Khasia Hills, between 700-1300 metr., Griffith in Herb. Kew; at
nd at Churra, Hooker Thomson] Sikkim Himalaya up to 2,000 m.,