373 ANNALS OP THE 310YAL BOTANIC G-ABDEN, CALCUTTA. [(J. R'LDLEYAMS.
i t s general habit. It seems related to 0. Ridleijanua. Its clmractoristics amongst tlie
species of the group are the leaf-sbeaths armed with short broad-based prickles; the
numerous approxmiate equidistant narrow 3-costate leaflets; the long strongly clawed
flagelliferous female spadix with rather short partial inflorescences; the thick spikelets
•with very approximate flowers; the fruit obovate, stoutly beaked, closely and
irregularly packed round the axis of the spikelet.
PLATK 157.—Cakmus densiflorus Becc. The basal portion of a leaf; an intermediate
portion of the same leaf from underneath; portion of the fruit-spadix with
an entire partial inflorescence; the seed longitudinally cut in two halves.—From
Ridley's specimen No, 6280 in Herb. Becc.
134. CALAMUS EIDLEYASOS Becc. ia Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 205.
DESCKIPTION.—Seandent, of moderate size. Leaf-sheaths . . . . . Leaves large,
subcirriferous, terminatmg in a finely and densely clawed rachis with very diminutive
leaflets; petiole apparently short, deeply channelled above, armed at the sides with
slender horizontal spines; rachis in its first portion, broadly channelled in the ccntro
and with a narrow channel on each side, where a.re attached the leaflets, irregularly
and rather densely armed beneath with stout solitary light-based and black-tipped
claws, these ternate and more regularly set towards the summit, where the rachis
is trigonous with an acute angle; leaflets numerous, equidistant or nearly so, not
very crowded, often disposed in the upper portion of the rachis in opposite
pairs ithese 4-5 cm. apart), ensifoim or lanceolaie-ensiform, gradually narrowed
towards the bass, subulately acuminata into a bristly apex, rather firm, papyraceous,
green on both sm-faces, shining and wifcli three acute and smooth costae above;
beneath the three costae faint but bristly in their anterior portion; margins quite
smooth, slightly thickened by a secondary nerve; transverse veinlcts slender but
very distinct; the largest leaflets, the iuterniediate ones, 45 cm. long and 2-5 cm.
broad, the upper ones gradually smaller, those of the summit very small, a few cm. in
length. Male spadh Female spadiz simply decompound, rather robust,
fla""ellifotm, very elongate, in one specimen 3 metres long, including the slender
terminal, 70 cm. long, clawed flagellum, and with 3 very remote simple very long
partial inflorescences; lowest primary spathe strictly tubular of uniform diameter
throughout, biconvex and veiy slightly two-edged, obliquely truncate and paleaceousciliate
at the raouth, very donsely armed with very small scattered horizojital blacktipped
and light-based, 1 - 3 mm. long prickles; upper primary spathes cylindraceous,
very long, very strictly sheathing, densely anned like the lowest spathe, but th©
prickles deflexed, prolonged at the summit into a lanceolate point; main axis of the
spadix almost terete in its elongate lower portion where 5-6 mm. in diam., armed
with strong solitary or aggregate and sometimes half-whorled claws; in its upper
portion the axis in the parts corresponding to the elongate base of the spathes
is flat inside, very acute at the sides, convex and clawed on the back; partial
inflorescences robust, rigid, straight, very long, the lower ones the largest, 7 5 - 9 0 em.
long with 9 - 1 2 spikelets on each side and terminating in a narrow tail-like aculeolate
sheathed appendix; the upper inflorescences shorter and with fewer spikelets; secondary
spathes finely 6caly-furfuraceouB when young, tubular-infundibuliform, 3-4 cm. long.
C. zeyhnms] BECCARI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 379
somewhat narrowed at the baso where smooth, but otherwise densely covered, chiefly
on the outside and near the summit;, with very small recurved prickles, these resting
on a tuberculiform base and prolonged at one side into an erect broad exsuccous
and iiltimately decayed point; spikelets vermi(;ular, thick, inserted inside the mouth of
their own .spathe, conspicuously archod downwards, all about of the same dimensions,
7 - 1 1 cm. long with numerous very closely packed distinctly 4-farioua flowers, as the
neuter flowers are very similar to and as large as the fertile ones; spathels very
short, very approximate, partially enclosed one inside the other, very broadly infuudibuliforir
without a tubular portion, truncate, entire and ciliolate at the margin, not or
obscurely apiculate at one side, rusty-furfuraccous, finely striatoly veined; involucrophorum
cupular, ahnost enclosed in its own spathel; the involucre as long, cupular,
rather deep, with an entire margin; areola of the nouter flower lunafco; sharply
bordered, lar^e and deep, slightly smaller tban the involucre. Female flowers ovoid,
about 4 mm."long; the calyx shortly 3-dentate, scaly-fui-furaceous; the corolla slightly
longer than the calyx; staminal urceolum crowned by very short filaments, anthers
sagittate, small. iVdai«/- floiuers barely diEEering externally from the fertile ones ; only
the corolla is somewhat longer than the calyx; stamens with the filaments connate a:t
the base, subulate, rather thick in the free part; anthers rather large, sagittate
(apparently steiile); abortive ovary formed by 3 elongate bodies about as long as
the anthers.
HABITAT.—Singapore, in the wild part of the Botanic Garden, Ridle^j No. 3504
and No. 6 9 0 1.
OBSERVATIONS.—This species has considerable affinity with C. densiflorus, but the frait
not being known its position remains doubtful. The chief distinctions are the
shining leaflets with smooth margins and with 3 costae, smooth above and bristly
beneath, the very long rigid partial infloresconces with many thick arched spikelets; the
flowers in the female spadix distinctly 4-s8riate, viz. with 3 series of female flowers
and two of neuters; these last very similiar to the fertile ones. Mr. H. N, Ridley
writes to me (August 1902) that of this species there are two plants in the Garden
Jungle at Singapore—one male, the other female, but they never have produced
f r u i t ; tho supposed male plant, however, is probably that of 0. densiflorus, according
to Ridley's specimen in the Herb, at Kew.
PLATE 158.—Cakmus Ridleyanus Becc. The upper part of a leaf; the terminal
portion of the spadL^ with two partial inflorescences from Ridley's No. 3504 in Herb.
Becc.
135. CALAMUS ZEYLASICUS Becc. in Hook, fil,
Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 210,
F l . Brit. Ind. vi, 455, and in
0. nidentum (not of Lour.) Thw. Euum. PI. Zeyl. 330 (excl. all syn.)
and C. P. exsicc. No. 3874 (see Hance in Journ. of Bot., 1874,
262).
DESCEIPTION.—Apparently very high seandent, large and robust. Leaf-sheathi
Leaves of the adult plant very large, very probably cirriferous, but
not seen entii-e by me; petiole ; rachis (from a portion above
ANN. ROY. BOT. GABD. CALCTJITA VOL. X I .