3 0 2 AKÍÍALS OP THE ROYAL BOTANIC GASDE^T, C.AÍCÜTTA. IG. nitidus.
HABITAT.—Bengal, Assam, the Khasia Hills, Silhet, Cbittagong and Burma.
Hamilton gives the locality of Jelpigore in the pro v. of Rungpoor (N. Bengal) lat.
26° 30' for the type specimens. I have seen esamplos from the following localities:
Khasya ranges, Wallich No. S6U Herb. Kew.; Assam, Griffith, Jenkins; on the banks
of the Dhunsiii, and Naga Hills, G. Mmn] in Cachar, R. L. Keenan in Herb. Kew.;
and on the Chatter Chut Hills, G. Mann in Herb. Beec.; at Doodputli, Eooker ^
Thomson in Herb. Kew. ; in Chittagong at Paroha, Gamhle ; at Seetakoond and
Eaji-ke-nath, Uooker ¿y Thomson in Herb. Kew.; S. E. Bengal at Noakally at the
mouth of the Megna Hooker cV Thomson in Herb. Kew.; Silhet, moker cj- Thomson in
Herb. Kew.—Native names " Onabi Bhet" (G. Mann.), "Sundi Bet" and " Quabi
Bet" (Gamble) iu Assan:. "Kyeingnee" (Gamble) in Burma.
OBSEEVATIOXS.—A very variable plant on account of its rather wide distribution
in India, but well characterised amongst the species of the group by the leaves
with numerous narrow equidistant subtricostate not shining and concolorous leaflets ;
by the spadices with very elongate broadly linear spathes (when expanded), which
are longer than the respective partial inflorescences; and by the small sphaeric
pisiform fruit.
I believe that no possible doubt can remain as to the identity of C. Master
si'intis Griff, with C. Guruha Ham.
PLATE 11-4.—Calamus Guruba Eam.—A.n entire male spadis; portion of the upper
part of a leaf (lower surface) and another portion from near the base.—From a
specimen collected by Mr. G. Mann in March 1886 on the Chatter Chur HiUs in
Cachar (Herb. Beec.).
PLATE 115.—Calamus Guruba Leaf-sheath with the base of a leaf and a
fruit spadix; portion of a female spadix in flower; the summit of a leaf (lower
surface); detached fruits aod seeds.—From specimens collected on the Naga Hills in
Assam by G. Mann (H. Beec.).
94. CALAMUS NITIDUS Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii (1st edit.), 211 and 334;
KuDth Enum. PI. iii, 211 ; Walp, Ann. iii, 484 and v, 830 ; Griff',
in Calc. Jonrn. Nat. Hist, v, 49 and Palms Brit. Ind. 59 ; Miq. Fl.
Ind. Bat. iii, 117; Hook, f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 449.
DESCKIFTION.—Probably scandent and slender. Leafshealhs Leaves
not cirriferous, about 60-70 cm. long (their base not seen by me); petiole
; rachis glabrescent, acute and bifaced above, armed beneath along
the middle with solitary relatively long and slender suddenly doflexed claws"-
leaflets numerous, equidistant, alternate or subopposite, closely set (15-18 mm!
apart), narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, almost equally narrowed to both ends'
acute at the base, snbulately acuminate at the summit, thinly papvraccous, subshin^
ing on both surfaces, barely paler beneath; their mid-costa very acuto above, whore
bristly from the middle upwards, and accompanied on each sido by two slender
secondary nerves which are bristly from the baae, therefore the upper surface is
furnished with five bristly nerves; beneath the mid-costa is not prominent an
0. nitidus.'] 33ECC;OLI. M O N O G E A P H OP THE G E > ' D S CALAMUS. 303
is very sparingly spinulous, the side-nerves are smooth; margins very appresscdly
and inconspicuously spinulous; transverse veinlets very slender above, indistinct
beneath; the largest leaflets, the lowest, 15-16 cm. long, 14-15 ram. broad; the
upper ones slightly shorter; the two of the terminal pair 10-12 cm. long, slightly
narrower than the others, quite free at the base. Male spadix very slender, filiform,
50 cm. up to 1 metre in length, with rather mauy (6-T) partial iniloresccnces
10-15 cm. apart and with a very slender filiform aculeolate flagellum at its summit,
ultradeoompound, with a short flattened peduncular portion, which is armed at the sides
with slender horizontal spines; its axial poi-tions between two partial inflorescences very
slender, l'5-2 mm. thick, subtecete or obscurely angular, rather densely armed on the
outer side with scattered or more or less confluent slender claws; primary spathes
elongate, at first tubular and snbventricose in the middle, bursting longitudinally during
the anthesis and—with the exception of a small tubular basilar portion—open, flat,
persistent, oxsuccous, papyraceous, glabrous, of a cinnamon-brown colour, subshining,
finely striate longitudinally inside, paler outside, somewhat longer than their
respective inflorescences; the lowest about 20 cm. long and 15 mm. broad with
two acute and spinulous cazinae; the upper ones smooth or sparingly spinulous at
the base on the back; partial inflorescences erect or erecto-patent, rather
dense, ovoid-pyramidate in outline, the larger ones panicled, the lowest about
15 cm. long, their axis straight and slender, with 10-12 bifarious branchlets
on each side which have a tendency to a unilateral arrangement; the largest
branchlets, the lowest, 3-4 cm. long, with 8-10 very small spikelets on each side;
secondaiy spathes glabrous, cylindraceous and closely sheathing iu their lower
portion, somewhat expanded at their summit into an obliquely truncate limb, this
entire at the mouth and prolonged at one side into a subulate point; branches
branchlets and spikelets inserted at the mouth of their respective spathes and with a
very distinct axillary callus and its transverse rima; spikelets very small and short;
the larger ones 5-7 mm. long with 5-7 approximate bifarious flowers on each
side, the two series often slightly unilateral; spathels very closely packed, bracteiform,
concave, their points acuminate, patent or deflexed and subtending the involucre; this
inserted at the base of the spathel above its own, calyculiform, concave, subcymbiform,
strongly veiaed, acuto right and left. Malo jloioers narrow, elongate, sub terete, acuminate
at the summit into a subtrigonons point, 2'o mm. long and barely more than
•5 mm. thick; the calyx cylindraceous, strongly striately veined, divided down to a little
above the middle into 3 triangular acute lobes; the corolla twice as long as the
calyx, its segments lanccolate, acuminate, striately veined outside; stamens biseiiatc with
the filaments thick and agglutinate at the base, subulate upwards and with inflected
apex when iu the bud; anthers elongate, subsagittatc; rudimentary ovary very small.
Female spadio: like the male one, but simply decompound; lower partial inflorescences
with 9-12 distichous horizontal or slightly deflexed spikelets on each side; the upper
inflorescences smaller, with 3-4 spikelets only, all with a distinct axillary callus
at their insertion; spathels very approximate, very shortly tubular at the base and
suddenly expanded into a broadly infundibuliform, strongly veined, glabrous not
cillate and at one side acute limb; involucrophorum subtended by its own spathel
and attached at the base of the one above, almost explanate and apparently formed
by two triangular bracts which are united, by their bases and acute right and left;
involucre smaller than the involucrophorum and like this strongly veined, calyculiform,