JSKALS OP THE EOYAL BOTiJilO (JAIIDEX, OiLCUTTi.
[C. Oumingianus.
very adpreSBod tip, light-yollowish willi narrow paler SDarion. erosely toollled mar.>iQ
S^ed orbicular, soinowllat oomprossed, 6 - 7 mm. broad, 3-D ma. thick, will, a . L l l
loand deep chalaaal fovea in the centre ot the raphal side, eoTerod with a thin
cruslaceons (once fleshy) detachable integnment, otherwise with even, not pitted,
sntfnco; albumen equable; embryo lateral in the centre of the face opposite the
chalazal fovea.
HABIMT.—Celebes: in the Slrait ot Bonton collected by Labillardiara (Pari.
Herb, and Herb. Webb at Florence). To this species apparently belongs the
spocamen of a leaf collected by Warburg at Bajong in the prov. of Minahassa in
N. Celebes, where it teoeivos the native name of " E o t a n g embel."
OBSERVATIOBS.—My description is taken from the type-specimons seen IJY Martins
himself consi.!tiiig of some portions of leaves and of an incomplete spadix, with
mature {rait. This is in all respects a very well marked species distinguishable at
once, even when out of flower, by iSs large many-costate elliptic-lanceolate
discolorous leaflets, of a light-yellow suboohraceous colour underneath; and by the
conspicuously pedicellate involucrophorum, a character which it has in common with
the other species of the group to which it belongs. Its nearest ally seems to be C.
Cimiiirjimm, which has also the female flowers stalked by a similarly elongate
inTOlucrophorum.
PLATE Ul.—Calamus symphysipus Mart. The base and the summit of a leaf;
portion of the spad IX 'with iDature fruit 5 fruits and seeds.—FIOEQ the autheutic
specimen in Webb's Herbarium at Florence.
119. CALAMUS CNMINGIANUA Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 210.
Calamus Bp. Vidal Plian. Cuming. (No. 762), 18 and 154.
DESCRIPTION.—Probably scandeot. Leaf-sheath, Zeanes (not seen entire
by me) probably cirriferoiis; petiole j rachis (in a small portion,
probably from about the middle of the leaf) longitudinally finely striate on both
surfaces, rounded below, where armed along the middle and at the sides with rather
robust solitary black-tipped claws, unequally bifaced above and spinulous on its
upper angle; leaflets approximate into gi'oups of 2-4 on each side, (he groups
alternate, obloiig-oblanceolate or oblong-aubspathulate, slightly concavo-convex or
Bubcochloariform, cuneately attenuate to the base, 20-24 cm. long, 5-5-5 cm. in
-width in their broadest part near the summit which is suddenly contracted into a
short triangular tip, this furnished with short rigid black bristles at the margins
papyraceous, green, opaque and glabrous oa both surfaces, but paler bencatii, longi'
tudiuftlly plicate, r-9-costate, the mid-costa slightly the stronoest and with very small
and distant spinules throughout iu tbc upper surface; side ¿ostae slender and naked;
on the lower surface the mid-costa and the side-nerves almost more distinct than
above, and all naked; transverse veinlets very approximate and numerous but not
very sharp; the margins closely serrate-apinulous; the lower margin on the upper
surface bordered with a polished band, a few other similar polished bands or stripes
( 1 - 4 mm. broad) occur also, sometimes along the main-nerves and correspond to the
C. Oumingianus.'} DEOCAEI, MONOG-EAPH OF THE GENUS cAL.4.¡\rus.
portions of the blade in the praefoliation. Male spadix . . . . Female
spadix ultradecompound (not seen entire), apparently elongate; upper primary spathes
thinly coriaceous, elongate, cylindraceous, not very closely sheathing, shortly open at the
summit on the ventral side and prolonged into a short acute point, fugaciouely
furfuraccous, sparingly armed with scattered, very small, shoit slender and scattered
prickles; partial inflorescences arising erect from insido their own spathes, then arched,
loosely panicled-pyramidate, subscorpioid; the one seen by me 15 cm. long, bearing
at its base a few branchlets (or branched spikelets) 5 - 6 cm. long and higher up 3-4,
gradually diminishing, simple spikelets; secondary spathes thin in texture, almost
membranous, infundibular, loosely sheathing, finely striately veined, fugaciously furfuraceous,
ciliate, truncate and obsoletely 3-dentate at the mouth; spikelets very unequal,
with very slender and brittle axes, the lower ones, the largest, 2-2-5 cm. long, with
very few remote flowers on each side, the upper ones shorter and very few-flowered;
spathels membranous, fugaciously furfuraceous, infundibuliform, narrow at the base,
broadened and loosely sheathing in their lipper part, very finely and sharply veined,
truncate and acute at one side at the moutii; involucrophorum small, calyculiform,
propped by a slender pedicel 1-3 cm. long, attached at the mouth of its own
spathel at the base of the one above; involucre slightly raised above the involucrophorum,
larger than this, calyculiform, more or less acutely bidentate on the
outer side; areola of the neuter flower punctiform, often furnished with a small
bracteiform scale. Female flowers ovate, 3 mm. long; the calyx thin, submembranous,
ovoid-urceolate, sharply striately veined, superficiiJIy and broadly 3-toothed; the
corolla barely longer, divided down to the middle into 3 broad triangular acute
thin connivent segments; stamens with the filaments united by their bases into a
high membranous urceolum which reaches to or above the middle of the corolla
and is truncate and crowned by 6 separate (not in contact by their slightly
broadened bases) linear short teeth; sterile anthers deeply sagittate; ovary obovate,
tapering towards the base; style 0; stigmata thick elongate-triangular, lamellosetubercled
inside, spreading during anthesis. Neuter flowers slender, 3-5-4 mm. long;
the calyx subcauipauulate, broadly 3-tootiied, the corolla twice and half as long as
the calyx, both finely striately veined. Fruit unknown.
HABITAT.—The Philippines: in the Province of Tayabas in Luzon, Cumina No
762 in Herb. Kew.
OBSERVATIONS.—The description is taken from the specimen of an intermedíate
portion of a leaf aud a portion with only a partial inflorescence of a female spadix
in flower. Notwithstanding those scanty materials, the species appeai-s a very distinct
one, only related to C. symphysipus and C. heteracantkns and easily distinguishable
by its spathulate, opaque, not discolorous, many-costate leaflets, which are clustered
into alternate groups of 2 - 4 on each side of the rachis and by the female flowers
with a long-stalked involucrophorum.
PLATE 14'.^.—Calamus Cumingianus Bece. An intermediate portion of a leafportion
of the female spadix in flower with an entire partial inflorescence.—i'rom'
Cuming's No. 762 in Herb. Kew.