846 ANNAI3 OF THE RORAL BOTANIC GAEDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. symphysipus»
unarmed, rery finely strlately veined, fugaciously scaly-furfuracoous, almost; horizontally
truncate and naked at the mouth, slightly prolonged at one side into a short acute
point; the lower branchlets, the largest, 8-9 cm. loug, somewhat arched-patent or
even doflexfid, inserted above the mouth of their own spathes, with 6 - 7 spikelets on
each side and prolonged at (ho summit into a simple slender, filiform spikelet, thii
longer than the side ones; tertiary spathos similar to the secondary ones but smaller
find more horizontally truncate; spikelets very slender, filiform, inserted above the mtmth
of their own spatlie with a small axillary callus, the lower ones the largest, 2 5 cm.
long with 12-14 flowers irregularly arranged in two series and not flatly hilarious;
1he upper ones speedily smaller; the extreme with a flower alone; spathels tubuJar-infundibuliform,
strongly striately veined, truncate and entire at the mouth, apiculate
at one side; involucre sli^',htly prominent but not pedicellate, laterally attached
outside its own spathel at the base of the one above, with a distinct waxy callus
at the axilla next to the axii, discoid witli a narrow scale-like margin. Male
Jlotvers irregularly ovate-oblong, usually somewhat narrowed to the base, often
asymmetric and obsoletely angulav by mutual pressure, obtuse, 4 mm. loug; the
calyx short, obconic-campanulate, membranous, strongly striately veined, with 3
broadly triangular acute teeth; the corolla 3 times and even more as loug as the
•calyx, divided into 3 oblong, obtuse or apiculate, strongly striately veined seguients.
: and fruii unknown.
HABITAT.—The S. W. coast of New Guir Zippel, according to Blume.
OBSEEVATIOSS.—I have seen only one incomplete specimen, apparently the one
figured by Blume, of this highly characteristic but imperfectly known species not
found again by modern botanists. The description above of the leaf-sheath aad ocrea
is from Blume as I have not seen these parts. The male floweri by their small
calyx and asymmetric long corolla call to mind those of some Arecineie and the
leaflets elongate-spathulate, cochleariform, green, sharply and closely transversally
veined on both surfaces and very approximate • in> couples on each side of the rachis
distinguish this Calamus from the allied species; probably it approaches' C. Cumingiinus
more thau any other
PLATE l 4 0 , ~ C a l a m u s heteracauthus Zipp. An intermediate portion of a leaf
portion of the male spadix with an entire partial inflorescenee; two detached branchlets
with male flowers.—From the authentic specimen in the Lcyden Herb.
118. CALAMUS SYMPHYSIPUS.—Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, 336; Walp. Ann. in,
4S7 and v, 831; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. iii, 124 and De i'alm. Arch. Ind!
2 7 ; H. Wendl, in Kerch. Les Paim. 238; Becc. in liec. Bot Surv
Ind. ii, 210.
DESCRIPTIOK.—Scandent, rather robust. Sheaf/ied stem probably 3 - 4 cm. in diam
Zeaf-sheaihs armed wilh few not very large spines in a small portion from near
the base of the petiole which 1 have seen. Leaves probably about 2 metr. long,
mot cirriferous, or terminating in much reduced leaflets and subeirriferous; petiole
rather robust, about 15 tm. long, 13 mm. thick, almost flat or broadly and superficially
channelled above, round and sinobth beneath, armed f,t the sides with
C. symphysipus.'] BECCAEI. MONOCJEAPH OP THE GENUS CALAMUS. 347
unequal horizontal short (1-8 mm. long) spines, 3-3 of them often confluons
by their broad bases; rachis bifaced above from the middle upwards, rounded
in the lower surface in the intermediate portion, where armed at regular intervalsalong
the middle and irregularly along the margins with solitary claws, these
temate and gradually smaller towards the summit ; leaflets numerous, remotely
inequidistant, but apparently not fascicled, though whereas a few are regularly set
3 - 1 cm. apart one from the other, the following may be 10 cm. distant,
elliptic-lanceolate or oblanceolate, gradually narrowed to and acute at the base,
acuminate at the summit, the extreme narrow tip covered wilh short brown subspiny
bristles, papyraceous, rather firm, with 6-7 slender costas, these almost of equal
strength and all reaching the summit, without bristles or spinules on either surface
green, glabrous and subsliining above, discolorous underneath, where covered with
3ry thin and very adherent light sub-ochreous coating; transverse veinlets
ibove than beneath; margins closely and
those of the lower and intermediate portion,
!s speedily decreasing in length, the upperim.
crowded and continuous, more sharp
adpressedly spinulous; the largest leaflet,
28 cm. long, 5 cm. broad, the upper 01
most only 6-10 cm. long and 10-15
broad. Male spadix Female
spadiz rather large and elongate (not
( 1 8 - 2 0 cm. apart) partial inflorescences and prolonged
flagellum, this 1 metre in length in one specimen seen by 1
spatlie not seen; upper primary spathes tubular-cylindraceous
slightly enlarged and loosely sheathing in their upper part where tho largest, those
of the lower portion of the spadix, 12-15 mm. in diam., obliquely truncate and
prolonged at one side into a short broad point at the mouth, sparingly armed chiefly
on the back of their upper part with very small suhtuberculiform spines; partial
inflorescenccs arising erect from inside their respective spatlus, then arched, rather
short, the lower ones, the largest, about 20 cm. long, not very dense, with 10-
spikelets on each side; secondary spathos tubular-infundibuHform, rather loosely
sheathing, slightly obliquely truncate and naked at the mouth, apiculate at one side
quite unarmed, faintly striately veined; spikelets inserted above the moulh of their
own spathc with a distinct axillary callus, spreading, arched scorpioicJ, their axis
rigid, filiform, gradually narrowed towards the apex or subulate with two not flatly
bifarious but slightly assurgent and not very regular series of flowers; the largest
spikelets 10-12 cm. long with 15-16 flowers in each series; spathels more or less
fugaciously furfuvaceous, elongate-infundibuliform, loosely sheathing, finely striately
veined, horizontally truncate and entire at the mouth, shortly apiculate at one side
gradually smaller from the base of tho spikele: to the summit; involucrophorum
small, flat, discoid, stalked by a slender pedicel, this 2-4 mm. long and attached
outside its own spathel near the base and sometirces about to the middle of
the one above, more or less distinctly calloi
above the involucrophorum, disciform, subconve:
of the neuter flower punctiform. Female jlowers
shortly but distinctly pedicelliform, the calyx
veined, teeth patent, very broadly triangular,
long as the teeth of the calyx, but a half :
; ry shortly mucronulatr,
slightly channelled along t
seen entire) with many not very remote
a strongly clawed
2; lowest primary
tliinly coriaceous,
ornali.
at its axilla; involucre slightly raised
vith a narrow annular limb; areola
small, 3 mm. long. Fruiting periantk
shortly cylindraceous, finely striately
apiculate; segments of the corolla as
rrower. Fruit sphaeric, 1 cm. in diam.
about 24 . subshining,
liddle, slightly prolonged into a rather obtuse and not
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