3 3 2 AKNALS OF THE 310YAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CAICUTTA. hispi'du/us,
sight glabrous, but under the lens they are bristly spinulous above on tlie mid-costa
and on a secondary nerve on each side of it, and beneath are densely hairy-hispidulous
on all nerves and at the margins; in some of the recently-colleoted specimens the
bristly nerves are 5 - 7 above and in others the entire upper surffiee is more or less
hairy-hispid, while the lower one is densely hairy and the margins closely and
adpressedly ciliate. Griffith's authentic specimen, which I have seen in the Herbarium
at Kew, lias a very slender stem 6 - 1 2 mm. in diam. and ihe partial infl
have only 2 - 3 very few-flowered spikelcts on each side.
The specimen No. 10259 of the Calc. Herb, has one leaf terminating
rudimentary aculeolate cirrus, which is about 1 cm. long, and projects between
two apical leaflets.
PLATE 130.—Calamus exilis Grif. Portion of the sheathed stem with an entire
f r u i t i n g spadix; an intermediate portion of a leaf (under surface); the summit of a
leaf (upper surface); seeds (ventral and dorsal aide), one longitudinally cut through
the e m b r y o . - F r o m No. 2737 Herb. Calc. in 11. Becc.
109. CALAMUS HISPIDULUS Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 209.
DESCRIPTION.—Sean dent, rather slender. Sheathed stem about 18 mm. in diam.
Leaf-shcal/is flagelliferoua, very densely clothed when young with coarse yellowish or
fulvous, long, spreading, deciduous hairs resting upon bulbous permanent bases,
and rendering scabrid the surface of the older sheaths. Leaves not cirriferous,
about ¿0 cm. long; petiole 8-10 cm. long, B mra. broad, flattieh or slightly
channelled above, feebly armed on the margins as well as along the centre of the
round lower surface with a few very small and slender claws, which become closer
and somewhat stronger, but always solitary, throughout the entire rachis; this and
the petiole are furthermore rendered scabrid by the very short bulbous hairs with
which they are covered; leaflets not many, 11-13 on each side, rather remotely
equidistant, thinly papyraceous or subherbaceous, very narrowly lanceolate or linearlanceolate,
almost equally narrowed to both ends, but very finely acuminate at the
a p e i , grepn aud concolorous on both surfaces even when dry; in the upper surface
the mid-costa and 3 or 4 secondary nerves on each side of it bristly-spinulous •
i n the lower one the secondary and tertiary nerves (about 13—14 on each side of
the mid-costa) covered with very minute hairs; margins ciliated with rather long
and distant bristles; transverse veinlets fine, remote, short; tlie largest leaflets, the
mesial, 18—20 cm. long, 10-15 mm. broad, the two of the terminal pair
occasionally not quite opposite, free at the base. Male spadix . . . . Female
spadix simply decompound, slender, about 70 cm. long, i n c k d i n g a terminal filiform
very finely irregularly clawed fiagellum; primary spathes very finely scabrid-papillose,
tubular, elongate, not very closely sheathing, slightly enlarged above, obliquely
truncate entire and ciliolate-hispid at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a
triangular acute point; the lowest spathe slightly compressed and acutely two-edged
in its lower portion, the edges smooth or with a prickle here and there; the upper
primary spathes cylindraceous, narrowed to the base, rather densely armed on the
outer side with small scattered claws; partial inflorescences few (3-4;, short, arising
C. pHosellus.'] BECCAEI. MONOGRAWI OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 333
erect from inside the mouth of their respective spathes, then apshed scorpioid; the
largest, the lowest, 6-7 cm. long with 8-10 alternate and subunilateral gradually
diminishing spikelets, the summit bearing solitary flowers right and l e f t ; secondary
spathes a good deal more strongly scabrid-hispidulous than the primary ones, tubular,
very slightly enlarged above, closely sheathing, truncate and ciliatc at the mouth,
prolonged at one side into a finely subulate hairy t i p ; spikelets attached above the
mouth of their own spathes with a distinct axillary callus, patent, arched-scorpioid,
the largest, the lowest, 15-20 mm. long, with 8 - 1 0 alleraate remote biseriate assurgeat
flowers; the other spikelets gradually shorter, the uppermost with 2-3 flowers only;
spathels elongate, lubular, closely sheathing, narrowly infundibuliform, truncate and
ciliate at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a short triangular point, scabridhispidulous
like the secondary spathes; involucrophorum attached outside its own
spathel at the base of the one above, calyculiform-subdiscoid, very distinctly pedicellate;
involucre shallowly cupular, orbicular, entire or obsolctely toothed; areola of the
neuter flower depressed, slightly irregularly tumescent with a punctiform scar in the
centre. Female fimers oblong, shghtly narrowed to tho summit, 4 mm. long; the
calyx glabrous, finely obsolelely striately veined, very shortly 3-toothed; the corolla
as long as the calyx. Fruiting perianth shortly pedicelliform, the lobes of the calyx
and the segments of the corolla spreading; these last one-half narrower than the
first and black at their summit. F>-uit elongate-ellipsoid, very like that of C. exilia
about 2 cm. long, 8-10 mm. broad, equally narrowed to both ends, distinctly
apiculate-mucronaie; scales squarrose or loosely imbricate with a slightly prolonged not
adpressed tip, almost flat, very faintly channelled along the middle, pale yellowishbrown,
opaque, with chestnut polished erosely-toothed margin. Seed apparently very
similar to that of C. exilis (seen immature by me).
HABITAT.—North-Wost Borneo on the Gnnong Wah near the sources of the
Sarawak River, Beccari P. B. No. 2821.
OBSEKVATIONS.—Very nearly allied to G. exilis from which it differs in the leaves
with fewer leaflets; these furnished with many more spinuliferous nerves, and in
the young leaf-sheaths densely setose-hispid when young and ultimately scabrid
through the persistent bulbous bases of the deciduous hairs, while C. edlis owes the
roughness of its leaf-eheaths to innumerable very short rigid non-deciduous hairs
each of them resting also on a small tubercle.
PLATE 131.—Calamus hispidulus Becc. The entire summit of a plant with a fruit
spadix.—From Becc- P. B. ho. 2821.
110. CALAMUS PILOSELLUS Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 208.
DESCEIPTION.—Scandent, slender. Sheathed stem 1 em. in diam. Leaf-sheaths strongly
gibbous above, very sparingly spinulous, not scabrid to the touch, but minutely
punctate or very finely tubercled under the Ions, probably hairy when young. Ocrea
very short glabrous. Leaves 60 cm. long (in one specimen), including the petiole; this
10 cm. long, glabrescent in its first portion, scabrid and hiapidulous upwards, rounded
beneath, slightly and broadly channelled above (or flat when in a fresh state?) with
4he margins. acute and armed with a f e w not 7ery long straight or nlightly hooked