300 ANNALS OF THE BOYAL BOTANIC GAEDEN, CALCUTTA. [Í?. Guruba.
of the sheath occurs a solitary loug straight spine) ; the margins of the petiole are
acute, more or leas ii'jegularly armed witli short or rather long straight horizontal
or ascendent spines, which sometimes extend also to the sides of the rachis, or even
almost smooth ; on the under-surface the petiole is rounded and usually armed, at
least along the middle, with solitai-y, straight, broad-baaed, usually rather long (even
2 cm,) and more or less dstiexod spines, which not infrequently are changed into
claws, especially when passing iato the raehis where they gradually become smaller,
and extend to its very summit; the spines are usually solitary, and with a relatively
long brownish and often very suddenly deflexed point; above, the rachis is acutely
bifaced aud smooth ; leaflets numerous (about 35 on each side), rath«r closcly set,
equidistant, alternate or subopposite, thinly papyraceous, opaque or subshiuing and
concolorous on both surfaces, narrowly ensiform, somewhat attenuate at the base,
•where suddenly plicate, gradually acuminate into a subulate and filamentous tip, more
or leas distinctly tricostidate, or with the mid-costa {acute and bristly-spinulous near
the summit) accompanied on each side by a secondary nerve which is more distinct
than the others, and furnished with rather numerous long or short bristles ; in the
lower surface the mid-costa not very prominent, spinulous, and the side-nerves usually
smooth or exceptionally very scantily bristly-spinulous ; margins very minutely and
appressedly spinulous, transverse veinlels sinuous and often inconspicuous; the largest
leaflets in vigorous specimens 30-35 cm. long and 18-20 mm. in width, in smaller
plants only 18-20 cm. in length and 15-17 mm. in width, the upper ones proportionately
shorter; the two terminal often unequal or united into an entire one,
which terminates the leaf. Male spadix ultracl^icompound, flpgelliform, up to 2-3 m.
in length, including a long slender irregularly clawed apical flagellum, with many
( 7 - 8 or even more) remote partial inflorescences ; the lowest primary spathe very
long ^in one specimen 50 cm.), flat, sheathing aud acutely two-edged at the base,
split longitudinally and more or less open, and dorsally two-keeled and aculeolate
upwards, armed on the edges chiefly near the base with straight, short or long
(10-15 mm. at most), horizontal or ascendent spiues, which become smaller and
more distant in its upper part; upper primary spathes very long (^30-50 cm.)
at first very narrowly tubular and sheathing the inflorescences, but very soon
bursting longitudinally on one side and with the exception of the lowest sheathing
portion expanded into a persistent elongate flat limb, which is thinly coriaceous
and essuccous in texture, very broadly linear (l-U'ô era. in width) obtuse, apicuiate
and Obsoletely toothed at the apex, of a cinnamon-brown colour, almost polished
inside, finely striately veined longitudinally, usually unarmed outside in their upper
part, but not infrequently more or less clawed externally in their basal portion ;
t h e claws more numerous and more robust in the slender axial portion between two
partial inflorescences ; partial inflorescences sub-erect, rather dense, broadly paniculate,
considerably fhorter than their own spathes, distinctly callous at their insertion,
13-25 cm. long, their axis straight, rigid, slender, obsoletely angular, with 8-10
gradually shorter branchlets on each side ; secondary spathes short, very narrowtubular
and sheathing in their lower portion, split longitudinally above at one side
and expanded into an auriculiform, exsuccous, membranous, striately veined, acute or
acuminate and often split limb, which subtends or embraces the base of the branchlets ;
secondary branchlets (or compound spikes) regularly distichous, and also gradually
decreasing in size, rigid, inserted at an angle of 45® (during the anthesis), strongly
C. Guruba^ BECCABI. MONOGBAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMOS. 301
callous with a transverse rima at the axilla; the lower ones 6-7 cm. long, with
S - 9 spikelets on each side; these very regularly distichous, horizontally inserted with
, a conspicuous axillary callus, gradually shorter, complánate; the lowest ones, the
largest, 18-22 mm. long, with 10-12 very regularly inserted flowers on each side;
those of the summit few-flowered; the axis of the spikelets very slender and closely
sinuous; spathels narrow at the base with a suddenly expanded broad concave subbracteiform
deflexed veined acute limb; involucre subtended by its spathel, shallowly
calyculiform, rather acutely 2-3-toothed. Male flowers contiguous, distichous or pectinate
on one plane, inserted at an angle of 45°, elongate-cylindraccous. acute, 3 ram. long,
1 mm. thick; the calyx tubular, flattish at the base, obsoletely striately veined
outside, divided down almost to or a little above the middle into 3 broad acute
lobes, these witii a slender subscavious margin; the corolla twice as long as the
calyx, divided almost to the base into 3 lanceolate, acute, rnther opaque segments;
stamens sub-biscriate, 3 of them being longer than the others, the filaments subulate
with inflected apices when in the bud; anthers ovate-oblong, sub-sagittate, obtuse
at the apex; rudimentary ovary formed by 3 small agglutinate bodies which teach
about to the base of tno anthers. Female ^pad'x simply decompound, otherwise similar
to the male one, in some specimens rather strongly clawed in the attenuated portions
of the axis between two partial inflorescences; primary spathes as in the male, but
commonly partially rotten and deciduous at the maturity of the fruit; partial inflorescences
erect when in flower, nodding when in fruit, more slender than in the
male spadix, more or less shorter than their own spathas, the larger ones 30-35 cm,
long at most and with many spikelets, but usually 15-20 cm. long, and witli 6-10
spikelets on cach side; these at first erect, later horizontal, very conspicuously
callous in their axilla, usually :>-7 cm. loug with 10-14 flowers on each side,
and with the axis closely sinuous and somewhat tumescent between the insertion of
each flower; the young spikelets with four distinct series of flowers, the neuter ones
being rather conspicuous; spathels tubular-infundibuliform, closely sheathing, apicuiate
at one side; involucrophorum essert from its own spathel, laterally attached at the
baso of the one above (apparently to the axis), disciform, almost flat, with a small
entire or lobulate limb; involucre very shallow, flat, similar to the involucrophorum;
areola of the neuter flower much depressed, linear with a central tuberculiform scar.
Female flowers conic-ovoid, acute, obsoletely trigonous, 3 mm. loug; the calyx shortly
and acutely 3-toothed, subiuflated and callous at the base, not or indistinctly veined
outside; the corolla slightly longer than the calyx, the segments lanceolate, very
acute; stamens with the filaments united into a cup, which is crowned by 6 subulate
teeth; anthers sagittate. Neuter flowers slightly smaller than the female ones, thinner
and with the corolla much longer than the calyx. Fruiting perianth shortly pedic-
«lliform. Fruil very small, sphaeric, pisiform (7 mm. in diaiu.), topped by a small
distinct beak; scales in 18 series, narrowly and sometimes very faintly channelled
along the middle, subshining, lightyellow with a very distinct chocolate-brown intramarginal
line which is move extended towards the point, this rather prolonged aud
erosely fringed; margins narrowly scarious, pale, erosely toothed. Seed depressedly
orbicular, 5-6 mm. in diaoi,, convex and boldly tubereled on the dorsal side, depressed
on the raphal side with a central circular deep chalazal fovea; albumen equable;
embryo basal.—The plant acquires in herbarium specimens an uniform reddish-brown
colour.