W i
3 4 2 ANN-\1S OF THE ROYAL BOTAJÍIO GAEDBN. CALCUTTA. [{?. SPECTABIUS
species and the fruit spadix of another. I consider however C. Blumci established
only on the portico of the leaf I have described above, and reproduced in plate
1 3 7 .
PLATE 137.—Calamus Blumei Beec. The summit of a leaf (under-surfacej.
From Blume's authentic specimen of C. rhomhoideus var. Ñ. in tho Leyden Herb.
115. CAL^UIUS SPECTA.BILIS Bl. Rumphia, iii, 55, t. 152; "Walp. Ann. iii, 487,
and V, 831; Miq. Fl. Incl. Bat. iii, 125, and Do Palrais Arch. Ind.
a7; Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 209.
DESCEipnoN.—Scandent, slender. Sheaihed stem as thick as a finger. Lcaf-sheaths
covered like the leai-racbis with a grey detachable scurf, longitudinally striated and
armed with very short tooth-like spines (Blume). Ocrea unarmed. Leaves not
cirrii'erous, about (30 cm. long; petiole ver}- short, armed with conic-subulate straight
or also hooked aculei; leaflets fen-, about 5 on each side, inequidistant but not
aggregate, irregularly alternate, rather remote, oblong-obovate, somewhat concave or
spooD-shaped, narrowed to the base and suddenly contracted into a short tip at
the apex, with 5-7 costae, of which tho side ones do not reach the summit and
evanesce near the margin; 3-4 of them bristly above; margins bristly-ciliato;
transverse veinlets conspicuous; the largest leaflets, the lowest, 18-20 cm. long
and 8 cm. broad, tho upper ones slightly smaller, tho two of the terminal pair
quite free at the base. Male -spadix very long (about 2 met., Blume), ultradecompound;
partial inflorescences numerous, elongate; the one seen by me with about 10
branchlets on each side; priuiary spathes ; secondary spathes finely
longitudinally striate, tubular, elongate, infundibuliform, eubclavate, closely sheathing,
obliquely truncate, and entire ciliolate at the mouth, prolonged at one side into
a triangular erect acute point, armed with very small black-tipped scattered claws.
bi-anchlets of the partial inflorescences spreading, inserted above the mouth of their
own Kpathes with a distinct axillary callus; the lowest, tho largest, about 10 cm.
long, with 8-9 spikelets on each side; tertiary spathes (spathes of the branchlets) un
armed or nearly so, narrowly tubular-infundibuliform, clo.sely sheathing, truncate
and entire at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a short patent or deflexed
point; spikelets filiform, inserted at the mouth of their own spathes with a
distinct axillary callus, Btnmgly deflexed, the largest, the lowest, 2 cm. long with
14-15 very approximate flowers on each side; upper spikelets barely shorter;
spathels bracteiform, concave, broadly ovate, glabrous, strongly striately veined, the
point acute deflexed; involucre subringent, cóncavo, shallow, obsolotely posticouely bideutate,
pushing down its own spathel and laterally attached to the base of the one
above. Male jlowers Female spadix and fruit unknown.
HABITAT.—The volcanic mountains of Barangrang and Tankubaug Prahu in the
Province of Pteanger in West Java, Blume.
OBSEKVATIOHS.—Of the authentic spt^cimen cf this I have seen a portion of a
male spadix totally stripped of its flowers and a portion of a leaf without its
sheath and therefore I am unable to make a precise comparison with some Sumatran
Bpecimens which I consider however as belonging to a distinct variety.
C. Bousigonii.] BECCAM. MONOGKAPH OP TITE GENUS OALAiius, 343
C. speetabilis ig doubtless related to C. rhomboidem, but it is easily distinguished
by its smaller dimensions, ultradeeompound male spadix with much smaller flowers,
and the smaller leaflets with only 5-7 costae of which 3-4 are bristly above.
CALAMUS SPECTABILIS v a r . SDMATRANUS Becc.
DESCKiPTiOK.—Scandent, fugaciously furfuraceous in the younger parts, then
glabrous. Sheathed stem 10-12 mm. in diam. Leaf-sheaths slightly gibbous above,
flagelliferous, glabrous, yellowish-brown when dry, densely armed with very
unequal, small, rather broad, laminar, light, horizontal or slightly deflexed spines,
of which the largest 7-8 mm. long, and these intermingled with much smaller and
sometimes tubcrculiform ones. Ocrea exsuccous, brittle, smooth or slightly spinulous.
Leaf sheath flagella filiform, very slender, armed even in the lower portion with very
minute scattered (not whorlod) claws. Leaves not cirriferous, 60-70 cm. long,
with 4-5 inequidistant not fascicled remote leaflets on each side; petiole very
short or almost obsolete ; rachis rather acutely bifaced above and finely
iiTegulavly clawed in its upper portion, obsoleteiy angular near tho base where armed
almost all round with short conic straight or slightly hooked prickles ; leaflets oblongobovate
or ovate-subrhomboid, glabrous and subconcolorrous on both' surfaces,
papyraceous, rather thin in texture, acute and not ansato at the base, suddenly
narrowed at the summit into a bristly tip, with 5-7 rather slender costae radiating
from the base, of which only the central reaching the summit and the side ones
•curved and evanescent near the margins at different levels, 3-4 of them very
finely inconspicuously remotely spinulous, the largest 18-20 em. long, 6 cm. broad,
the two of the tenninal pair somewhat shorter and slightly narrower, those near
the base very spreading, sometimes narrower but not very different from the others.
HABITAT.—W. Sumatra at Sungei Bulu in the Prov. of Padang in the lowland
not vory far from the sea coast, Beceari P. S. 894, c<illected in Sept. 1878; also
on Gunoiig Trang in tho Lampong, Forles Nos. 1574 and 1490 in Herb. Calc.'
OBSEEVATIONS.—The No. 1574 of Forbes is accompanied by the detached portion
of a fruit-spadix which has a very long partial infloresconce with many remote
d a i e i c d spikelets and small oboynfe distinctly beaked fruits. As this epeoime'n though
bearing the same niimbor as the leaves appears of a difierent gathering, I have not
included it in my description. My Sumatran specimens and especially Forbes's ones
bear a considerable resemblance to certain forms of C. javensis^ but in this species all
the primary nerves reach the summit of the leaflets.
PLATE 138.—Calamus spectabilis var. sumatranus Becc. Summit of the stem
with a flagelliferous leaf-sheath and with an entire leaf; the base of a spadixj the
summit of the spadix with an entire partial inflorescence (that mentioned
and bearing immature fruit.—From Forbes's No. 1574 in the Berlin Herb
116. CALAMUS BOUSIGOND Pierre JIS. (name only) Beco.
Ind. Ü, 209.
Rec. Bot. Surv.
DCSCKIPTIOK.—Slender, scandent. Sheathed stem 10-12 mm. in diam.; naked canes
yellowish, almost opaque, longitudinally striate, (i-8 mm. in diam. Leaf sheaths elongate,
slightly gibbous above, green marbled with furfuraceous patcnes, densely armed