2 8 8 ANHAL3 OP THE EOYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. bacuhm
(0-6 mm. apart), rather large (5 mm. loDg); the calyx campanulate, obsoleteiy veined,
its teeth superficial, very broad, acute; the corolla divided down almost to the middle
into 3 ovate acute, faintly striate segments, these narrower a good doal than the lobes
of the calyx and about as long; stamens united by their bases as high as the undivided
portion of the corolla and for)i>iug a cup which is crownod by the suddenly
subulate filaments. Fruilinj perianth pedicelHform, short and thick. Fndi broadly
ovoid, suddenly contracted into a short conic acute beak aud crowned by the very
small recurved stigmas, 17-18 mm. long, including the beak, 12 mm. in diam.j scales
reddish-brown or of a cinnamoQ colour in 15 series, about as loug as wide, slightly
convex, not chanuelled along the middle, opaque aud as if pulverulent, with a broad
rather discoioured, more polished baud; the apex rather obfuse, distinctly ciliately
fringed; the margins also ciliately fringed at first, later finely toothed. Seed oblong,
rounded to botii ends, 9-10 mm. long, 6 mm. thick, irregularly and deeply grooved
on the back with a deeply penetrating elliptic chalazal fovea on the centre of the
raphal side; albumen subruminate, viz., with superficial intrusion of the integumeni
of the seed; embryo basal.
is important and fruitful
above the level of the
HABITAT.—Discovered by Sig, Leonardo Fea during
zoological explorations in February 1887, at 1200-UOO m
sea, on the west side of the Moolyet range in Tenasserim.
OBSERVATIONS.—Evidently related to C. acantlmpatlms, but very distinct by its
smaller dimensions, the armature of the leaf-eheaths and the fruit with opaque not
channelled scales.
PLATE 106.—Calamus Feanus Becc. Portion of the sheathed stem with an entire
spadix; another 9 spadix with almost mature fruit; the summit of a leaf (undersurface);
detached fruits and seeds,—From Sig. Fea's specimen in H. Becc.
89. CALAMUS BACDLABIS Becc. Nolle Foreste di Borneo, 609, and in Rec. Bot.
SUIT. I n d . ii, 206.
DEScniPTiON.—Not scandent. Stem erect, 3 m. high, as thiok as a common
walking cane. Leaf-sheaths not cirriferous, gradually passing into the petiole, opeu
above on the ventral side where densely armed near tho mouth with very long
(4-5 cai.), dark, opaque, rather thickly laminar, rigid, erect spines; in the rctuaining
portion of the spathe the spines are smaller and on the ventral side interruptedly
senate. Leaves not cirriferous, large, about 2 m. long ; petiolo very long, in
one specimen 70 cm. in length, subterete near the base, obsoleteiy angular, and
smooth in its upper part, strongly armed from the base to about the middle with
strong, narrowly laminar, rigid, horizontal spines, of which tho lowest are as much as
3 cm. long and, especially on tho back, often geminate or ternate and divergent;
the upper ones gradually diminishing in length ; rachis quite smooth on both surfaces
acutely bifaced above, roundish lower down and flat upwards beneath; leaflets
numerous, equidistant, very regularly inserted at an angle of 45°, 18-20 mm. apart,
C. bacuhris.'] beccajii. monogeaph op t h e genos calamtts. 28»
linear-lanceolate, almost equally narrowed to both ends, very acuminate at the apex
into a filamentous tip, this with short bristles at the sides, concolorous, glabrous and
subshming on both surfaces, quite naked and smooth beneath and with 3 acute
costae which are spinulous above (the mid-costa less spinulous than the side ones)-
margins smooth (not biistly or spinulous), with a slender secondary nerve runninc^
alongside; transverse veinlets sharp, approximate; the largest leaflets, thoso near the
base, 28-30 cm. long, 22 mm. broad; the upper ones somewhat smaller, narrower"
and less acute and with a small brush of short and black bristles at the apex ; the two
of the terminal pair linear, very narrow, free at the base. Male spadtx' (in on©
specimen) erect, not flagelliferous at the summit, about 1 m. in length, partially
ultradecompound, quite unarmed in every part, with a peduncular part (sheathed by a
spathe) 25 cm. long, with 6 approximate partial inflorescences; lowest primary spathes
strongly flattened, closely sheathing, acutely two-edged and with a lanceolate limb at
their summit; upper primary spathes tubular, slightly flattened, somewhat enlarged and
rather loosely sheathing above, narrowed a good deal at the base, greenish when dry,
fugaciously furfuraceous, and with an exsuccous, auriculiform lanceolate acuminate
limb at their summit which occasionally is furnished with a few subspinous (deciduous?)
paleolae on the apox; the lowest partial inflorescence, the largest, decompound or divided
into various slender branchlets (O-IO cm. long), each with numerous very short (3-5
mm.) arched or recurved spikelets, which have only 2-5 flowers on each side; the
upper inflorescences have 4-5 spikelets on each side; these 2-3 cm. long with '8-12
perfectly bifarious flowers on each side; secondary spathes infundibuliform, furfuraceoua,
truncate and densely ciliate-bearded at the mouth, prolonged at one' side into á
hairy-penicillate point; spafhels closely packed, bracteiform, deflexed, concave, broadly
ovate, acute, strongly striately veined; involucre calyculiform and apparently formed by
two broadly ovate, acute, strongly striately veined bracts which are connate by their
base and adnate laterally to the axis of the spikelet. Male /louvers cylindracoous, narrow,
acute, 4 mm. long and 1'5 mm. thick; the calyx cylindraceous, obsoleteiy veined with 3
short broa'ily triangular acute teeth; the corolla more than twice as long as the calyx,
its segments linear, polished outside. Female spadix simply decompound, with an
elongate unarmed tail-like appendix at its summit; primary spathes as in tha male
epadix and provided with a few subspinous hairs at the suirimit; partial inflorescences
with rather many bifarious spikelets; secondary spathes 12-15 uim. long in the exposed
part, tubular-infundibuliform and with a triangular horizontal or deflexed poiut; spikelets
rigid, deflexed, inserted just at the mouth of their respective spathes, with a distinct
axillary callus, 6-7 cm. long, with 10-12 flowers on each side; spathels very short
with a deflexed triangular point; involucrophorum shallow, laterally attached outside
its own spathel at the base of the one above; involucre shallow, 2-3-lobed, strongly
veined; areola of the neuter flower very depressedly lunate, sharply bordered. Female
Jlowers elongate-conic, 4 mm. long; the calyx flat at the base, strongly veined divided
down almost to the middle into 3 triangular acute teeth; the corolla not quite twice
as long as the calyx, its segments lanceolate-acute, poHshed outside; ovary duri^e
anthesis columnar, with a very thick stylo crowned by triangular recurved stismaf
Frmting perianth explanate. FniÜ sphaeric, 1 cm. in diam,, topped by a very narro "
2 mm. long, cylindraceous beak; scales in 15 series, very faintly channelled alon^
the middle, shining, spadiceous, with a darker triangular point.—The leave
herbarium specimens acquire a dark-brown colour. "
AJÍN. EOY. BOI. GARD. C.U,CUTTA VOL. X I.