316 ANNAL3 OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CAICUTTA. [C. Gamblei'
seems to me almost certain that tho fruit figured by Martius in the plate 116, f.
XI, and of which mention is made after the diagnosis of C, dioicus, belongs also to
0. .
Bcemonorops melanolcpis is the first name given to tho present species, but as this
cannot remain in the genus Dcemonorops, I have adopted the name of C. Huegelianus
published at an earlier date than that of Wightii. Griffith has not left a desciiption
of C. Wiijhtii, and this name figures in his large posthumous work in the plato
ccsvi, C (a reproduction of Dr. Wight's drawing) with the sole indication:—"This
species which was received from Dr, Wight is distinguished from all the foregoing
by the secund arrangement of the fruit." In that plate are also represented the
male Sowers which I have not seen.
Of the authentic specimena of C. Wigktii I have seen one in the St. Petersburg
Herbarium and another in that of Kew, where they were unnamed, but evidently
they are portions of the same specimen employed in the preparation of the plato
quoted above. Of 0. IlugaUanus and of D. melanolepis I have also seen portions of
the authentic specimens of Martius kindly forwarded to me by the Director of the
Botanical Garden at Brussels, and I am therefore quite sure that tho three mentioned
names are synonymous.
In some of Gamble's specimena the immature fruit has spadiceouB scales with
chestnut-brown margin and tip, hut only in this do they difEer from the type, which
has tho fruit scales black even when in a very young stage.
I n some fruits of the St. Petersburg specimen, somewhat larger than usual, I
have found two seeds flat where in contact and convex on the outer side.
The diagnostic notes of 0. Huegelianus are the long leaves with equidistant
numerous narrowly ensiform 3-costate leaflets ; the long rigid spadix with a very long
and very powerfully clawed flagollum, and few partial rigid pyramzdate scorpioid
inflorescences; the arched spreading spikelets, with a secund arrangement in the
flowers and fruit; the round fruit with very dark not channelled scales: the round
ruminated seed.
PLATE 122.—Calamus Huegelianus Mart. Portion of the fruit spadix and leafsheath
flagellum; detached seed«, one cut in two halves across the embryo.—From
Wight's specimen in the St. Petersburg Herb.
102. CALÍMUS GAMBLEI Becc. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 493, and in Rec.
Bot. Surv. of Ind. ii, 207.
DESCBIPTION.—Very probably scandent and of moderate size. Stem . . . .
Lcaf-sheaths Leaves large, non-cirriferoua; petiole ; rachis
finely striolate longitudinally, bifaced above and rounded beneath in its intermediate
portion where it is armed along the middle with small solitary claws; leaflets
numerous, rather remote (6-7 em,, apart), firmly papyraceous, green even when dry,
slightly paler beneath than above; elongate-ensiform or narrowly lanceolate-ensiform
<50-65 cm. long, 25-28 mm. wide, somewhat narrowed to and gradually plicate at
C. Gamblei.'] BECCARI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GEI^US CALAMUS. 317
the base and gradually attenuated from not very far above the base into a long
subulate-acuminate bristly-ciliate tip, with 3 distinct costae, of which the central one
a good deal more raised and acute than the side ones, all more or leas furnished at
least from the middle upwards, with a few remote subspiny brown bristles; on the
under surface the 3 costae also sparsely bristly, but the central one slightly prominent
and the side ones very slender; transverse veinlets rather sharp and much interrupt
e d ; margins remotely ciliate-spinulous. Idctle spadix . . . . . Female spadix not
seen entire; simply decompound; partial inflorescences 25-30 cm. long, somewhat
arched, their axis slightly zig-zag sinuous and obsoletely trigonous, with 7-8 distichous
spikelets on each side; primary npatlies ; secondary spathes unarmed, at
first furfuraceous, speedily glabrous and subshinxng, tubular-infundihuliform, very closely
sheathing, obliquely truncate and entire at the mouth and prolonged at one side into
a short acute point; spikelets spreading, arched and recurved from an ascendent base,
distinctly callous at their insertion, the largest, the lowest, 8-10 cm. long, with 8-9
flowers on each side, the upper ones gradually shorter, the extreme 15-20 mm. long
with 3-5 flowers only; «pathflls cylindraceous in their lower portion, rather suddenly
infundibuliform upwards, acute or apiculate at one side; involucrophorum inserted
outside its own epathel at the base of the one above, distinctly pedicelliform, 1-4
mm. long, conspicuously callous at its axilla next to the axis, expanded at its
apex into a small truncate, entire calyculiform limb; involucre discoid-pateriform,
almost flat, subtrigonous with entire margin; areola of the neuter flower represented
by a email projecting tubercle, often pedicelliform. Female Jlowers in two series, both
pointing upwards or secund, ovate, 5 mm. long; the calyx subcampanulate, coriaceous,
smooth not veined outside, with 3 very short and very broad acute teeth; the
corolla about one-fourth longer than the calyx, divided down about to the middle into
3 broad triangular acute thick polished segments; the stamens with the filaments united
by their bases, forming a cup as long as the undivided portion of the corolla
and crowned by 6 short teeth; anthers sagittate, as long as the segments
of the corolla ; ovary ovate ; style obsolete ; stigmata thick trigonous erectodivergent.
Fruiting perianth pedicelliform, thick and callous, about 3 mm. long.
Fruit globose, obpyriform or turbinaie-globose, slightly tapering towards the base,
where caudiculate, flattish on the top, where very shortly mucronulate, 22-25
mm. long, 17-18 mm, broad; scales usually in 21 series, somewhat longer than
broad, strongly gibbous, rather deeply channelled along the middle, shining, pale
yellow, with a narrow almost black marginal line, prolonged into a triangular
rather acute adpressed point, not fimbriate and like the margin finely eroselytoothed.
Seed regularly globose ovoid, rounded at both ends, about 13 mm. long and
11 mm, broad, deeply ruminate, covered with tlie very adherent opaque granular
integument ; embryo basal.
HABITAT.—Lower India. Nilghiri Hills in the Makurti forest at about 1500 m.
above the level of the sea, J. S. Gamble, June 1884, with mature fruit.
OBSERVATIONS.—I have seen of this an intermediate portion of a leaf with a few
•leaflets and a few detached partial inflorescences with female flowers and maturo
iruit.