Ì H N Ì L S OF I H S EOYIL IOTARK GASDES, OAMUTTA.
[C. spathuiatus.
3 8 0
phorum Eubdiscoid, shortly pedicellate; involucre flat, discoid, entire, irregularly orbicular;
areola of the neuter flower tnberculiform. FrmUa„ p m l h pedicoUiform; the calyi
cylmiraceous, smooth and oaDou, at the base, divided down to the middle into 3 broad
semiovate rather obtuse lobes; the segments of the corolla slightly longer than the
oalyi, lanceolate, acute, stri.tely veined outside; the filaments of the stamens forming
an urcedate cup, which is crowned by 6 elongate triangular teeth. Frml broadly
ovate-elbptrc, about 12 mm. long and 8 mm. broad, suddenly contracted at the
apex mto a small acute beak; scales in 18 series, reddish-brown with a darker
( almost blood.red ) shming marginal lino, rather convei, faintly channelled along the
middle; margms erosely toothed. a r f willi equable albumen.
HAKTAT^British New Guinea on Mt. Obree at about 2,EOO m. elevation.
D,scovered by Mr, W A. Sayer in the summer of 1887. The specimens were sent
to me by the Baton Ferd. von Mueller.
OBs.nvAI,o»s.-The description of this species is derived from a specimen consistmg
of only two leaves and one spadix with immature fruit. The spadiz is 20 cm.
long wrtlr two partial inflorescences, and the terminal portion is wanting. The two
.eaves arc without the basal portion of the petiole; one is 20 cm. a'nd the other
23 cm. n length. The affinities of this species are somewhat uncertain. In the
short not cirnferous leaves with few leaflets (of which 4 approximate at the summit)
It approaches the specie, of the group of C. but in spadix it has a genera
resemb ance to the species of (Jroup XII ( « „^„„^ , ' ^
account of the secund arrangement of the flowers and of the snbpedicellalo i n v o l Lc
phorum. The characteristic marks are. the short not cirriferoas loaves with very el
equidistant n„icost.te anceol.te leaflets of which 4 are approximate at the s u l f t , thl
; : T o i u c ? o p h o ; : : " ^ '
PLATB I48.-Calamus Outhbeitsoni, The entire specimen described above.
T28. C a l a i s spATam.ATra Bcco. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 459 and in Kec
Bot. Surv. lud. ii, 315.
DESOn-Tlos^-Slender, apparency scandent, at first sight glabrous, but in fact
covered thronghout, except on the leaflets, flowers and f™it l i t h ve y smal rustv
scJcs which arc scattered ou the sheaths, rachis and primary spathes, and denser o ^ he
condary spathes and spathels. .ta
f e r ^ s , palo-yellowish (as are the other parts of the plant when dry), very S i
coriaceous, gibbous above, densely armed with short, 3-8 m,n. long, s o a a r H c i et d
or sometimes slightly confluent spines, which are swollea or bulbou and hvit c o l o l l
L „ f . , i , a a very long, flattened and acutely two-edged i„ the basal o!^'
densely aculedate upwards. short, in one specimen (Lobb's) 50 1 Ion '
including a slender filiform aculeate terminal cirrus; another sieeimen ( H e , " ; « T '
a leaf aubcirriWous and bears at the summit at difierent level's 2 unequal TeTfl i h
uppermost of which is laterally aculeate on the rachis side; petiole very l o t flat
C. spathuiatus.'] BECCAKI. MOKOGBAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. ^QI
above; rachis obsoletely bifaced abore, armed bcneatb with rather sfroug broad and
light-based black-tipped claws, which are solitary at first and 2-3-nate upwards but
gradually become smaller and weaker towards the summit; leaflets very few (5 in Lobb's
specimen) inequidistant, remote alternPte or opposite, never fascicled, Bpathulate or
oblong-obovate, strongly concavo-convex or spoon-shaped at the summit, about 20
cm. long, 6-7 cm. broad (the lower ones smaller), tapering and acute towards
the bass; very suddenly contracted at tho summit into a short obtuse bristly
penici Hate tip, the bristles ultimately deciduous, firm, thinly coriaceous or subpergamentaceous,
shining and green on both surfaces, slightly paler beneath, with 3-5-
primary sub-equal nerves or costulao and a few secondary ones, all naked on botli
surfaces, hut feebler beneath ; transverse veinlets very siiarp and distinct on both
surfaces, excessively numerous, very approximate and continuous across the blademargins
quite smooth and thickened by a rather strong nerve. Male sjjadix . '
. . Female spadix elongate, flagelliform, simply decompound, in one specimen about
1 m, in length, including a slender apical, 10 cm. long, aculeolate tail-like appendixupper
primary spathes tubular-cylindraceous, elongate, closely sheathing, coriaceous'
densely aculeolate throughout, obliquely truncate and entire at the mouth, slightly
prolonged at one side into a short rather obtuse triangular point, gradually passing
at the baso into the axial part, this flat on the inner side, convex and sparsely
aculeate exLornally; lowest primary epathe fiat on the inner side, convex and
sparsely aculeate externally, the margins acute; partial inflorescences fe-w, rather
distant erecto-patent, inserted at or above the mouth of their respective' spathes
with a distinct axillary callus and a deep transverse rima; the lower ones the
largest 15-30 cm. long, with 6-13 spikelets on each side; secondary spathes tubularinfundibuHform,
entire and truncate at tho mouth, apiculate at one side, aculeolate or
almost smooth; spikelets distichous, horizontal, inserted just at the mouth of their
own spathe with an axillary callus, rather slender, rigid, slightly arched, 2-5-6 cm
long, with 8-15 rather approximate sub-horizontal flowers on each side; the uppermost
scarcely shorter than the lower ones; spathels shortly and broadly'infundibuliform,
truncate and entire at the mouth, slightly apiculate at one side; involucrophorum
laterally attached almost outside its own spathel at the base o/ the one
above aud distinctly callous at its upper axilla, sessile, shallowly cupular^
involucre regularly cupular, barely exceeding the involucrophorum, the margiu slightly
undulate; areola of the neuter flower large, conspicuous, lunate, sharply bordered
cailoua and umbilicato iu tlie centre. Female Jloivers small, ovoid, acute in bud'
Neuter flowers very similar to the fertile ones and almost as large. Fruiting pei-ianih
shortly but distinctly pedicelliform, the calyx indurated and slightly ventricose at
the base, divided midway down into 3 irregularly split lobes; the corolla almoBt
twice as long as the calyx, its segments ovate-lanceolate acute, polished outsidestaminal
urceolum crowned by 6 broadly triangular subulate teeth. Fruit (when
nearly ripe) regularly ovoid-elliptic, equally rounded at both ends, caudiculate at its
base, topped by a slender, 3 mm. long, exactly cylindricous beak, which io crowned by
the small recurved stigmas, 12 mm. long including the beak and the perianth and 7
mm. broad; scales ia 18 series, almost as long as broad, narrowly channelled along
the middle, very light-coloured, subshiniug, with a lighter scarious margin and
an obtuse and often reddish-biown tip. Seed oblong, above 8 mm. long coarsely
pitted on the back; albumen -i-i-- — — i—i
ANN. ROT. BOY.' &ABD. CALCDITA VOL. XI.