S84 ANNALS OP THE EOTAL BOTAÎTIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. po/ystachys^
part at short intervals with comploto membranous broad rings which are very
densely comb-Hke, fringed with long blackish shining rigid criniform bristles; the
mouth is truncate and also very densely bristly. Ocrea indistinct. Leaves large,
3'5 m. long in the pianiferous part ; the cirrus elongate, armed at regular intervals
with -^••whorled claws ; petiole short, 10-15 cm. long, robust, very slightly
channelled above, about IS mm. broad, prickly and covered with rigid bristles
or crinite at the base on the back and at the margin."!; rachis with 2 spinulous
ridges abore in its first portion, trigonous upwards and with spinous acute angle
above; leaflets numerous, equidistant, alternate, 3-3"5 cm. apart, linear-ensiform,
slightly narrowed to the base, where not very acute and suddenly plicate at their
insertion, very gradually acuminate towards the summit and lengthened out into
a subulate setose tip, this more or less deeply indented on the lower margin
2 - 3 cm. from the apex, papyraceous, slightly paler beneath than above, the largest
50 cm. long, 2 cm. broad, 3-costulate, the costae with rather long bristles
on the iipper surface, chiefly towards the summit; underneath the mid-costa closely,
the side costae sparingly bristly; tiansverse veinlcts minute and short; margins
ratlier closely spinulous. 3fale spadiz . . . . . Female spadiz not flagclliferous
at its apex, about 1 m. in length, pyraniidate, diiïuse, decompound, brown in
every part when dry, with 4-5 gradually shortening distichous partial inflorescences
on each side; primarj- spathes tubular, very closely sheathing, thinly coriaceous,
10-15 cm. long, smooth or very sparingly prickly; the lower ones conspicuously, the
upper ones in a lesser degree flattened and all acutely two-edged, obliquely truncate,
entire and naked at the mouth, prolonged at one side in a triangular dorsally keeled
acute point ; partial inflorescences distinctly stalked, inserted far inside thoii- own spathe,
tho lower ones, the largest, 50-55 cm. long and terminating in a small spikelet
or in an inconspicuous tail-like appendix, and composed of 18-20 secondary spathes,
of which the lower ones bear 2-3 spikelets each, only the spathes near the summit
show solitary spikelets ; secondary spathes 2-3 cm. long, tabular, slightly infundibuliform,
unarmed, thinly coriaceous, rather loosely sheathing, truncate and entire at the
mouth, slightly prolonged at one side into a short obtuse or acute point; spikelets
spreading, each distinctly stalked or furnished with a long flattened podicel inserted
at the bottom of their respective spathe ; the largest, the lower ones, 6-8 cm. long,
not including the pedicel, with 14-16 flowers on each side; spathes broadly aad
shortly infundibuliform, narrowed a good deal to the base, horizoutally truncate,
epiculate at one side, finely and rather obsoletely veined; invoiucrophoniiu calyciform,
narrowed at the base and inserted at the bottom oE its own spathel, bidentate,
lunately excavate and acutely two-keeled on the side next to the axis; involucre
irregularly or somewhat unilaterally capular, slightly exceeding the involucrophorum ;
areola of the neuter flower very distinct and largo, vertically ovate, concave, sharply
bordered. Female flowers 3-5 mm. long; the calyx split into 3 oblong, finely
obsoletely veined lobes; the segments of the corolla finely veined, slightly narrowed
and as long as tho lobes of the calyx. Fruit unknown.
Habitat.—The native country of this species is unknown, as it is cultivated in
the Botanic Garden at Buiteazorg without any special reference to its origin.
Obsekvations.—Of this Calamut I have received from the Botanic Garden of
Buiteuzorg the entire upper part of a female plant. The spadicos have very few
0. mdamamms.-] becoam. m o n o g b a p h of m e o e s o s o a i a m u s . 385-
growing ovaries left on tho »pikelets, from which it appear» that the iemale iowers
are smallor than those of C. moidms; but the most singular features of thi» »pooies
ate the i3-3-nate spikelets at each secondary spatho; each spikelet having its distinct
pedicel inserted in the bottom of the spathel, whereas in all other species of CaUmut
I am acqnaintcd with, the spikelets arc always solitary at each secondary spathe.
The armature of the sheaths a good deal resemble» that of Dacmomnft mirMii,
but the membranous conib-liko rings fringed with criniform bristles are not, as in
this last, tm-ncd in opposite directions and arc, at least in the jnTcnile »heaths seen
by mo, all pointing upwards; they may however bocomo deflexcd by ago.
Closely related to C. «»»«feiis; bat it shows also nndouited afEnitios to
0. andamanims,
PLATE 163.—Calamus polystachys Becc. Leaf-ahcath with base of a leaf; an
intermediate portion of a leaf (upper surface); the »nmmit of a leaf; intermediate
portion of a female spadix with ovaries in course of development. From Herb. Becc.
138. Calamus akuamanicus Kurz in Jonrn. Asiat. Soc. Beng. xiiii, pt. 2 (1874)
211, pi. ixvii A and sxviii and xlv, pt. 2 (1876), 161, and For.
Fl. Brit. Burma, ii, 519; Hoot. 41. Fl. lirit. Ind. vi, 457; Becc. in
Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 211.
Desciiiption.—Very large and high scandent. Sheathed sUm as thick as the arm
(up to 8-10 cm. in diam.) ; naked canes 2-5-3 cm. in diam.; the internodes
eylindracoons short (15-20 em. long) with a yellow straw-colourcd and polished surface.
leaf-deatla thick woody, not tlagelliferous, reddish-brown when dry, those of the
upper part of the plant short, strongly gibbons above, more than armed, may be
described as ornamented with very numerous sinuous, interrupted, approximate, dcdexed,
minute, narrow crests which are comb-like fringed with very many »mall capillary
ultimately deciduous spiculae, very obliquely trnnoato at the mouth and with very
densely and shortly hispid m.argins. Ocrea indistinct. Lcava very large, the upper
ones cirrifcrous; petiole very robust, up to 5 cm. broad at its base, channelled
above, round beneath, armed at the sides with short straight robust prickles and
at the base on the back with small spiculiferous crests as on the sheaths; rachis in
its iirst portion round beneath, slightly cliannelled aud with two acute spinulous angles
above and broad side-fnccs, where are insetted the leaflets; higher up in the upper
surface the spinulous angles become always mote approximate and finally the side-faces
unite into a acute salient angle; beneath it is at first round and upwards obsoletely
angular and strongly armed with extraordinarily robust digitate claws; the cirrus is
very robust aud bears at distances of 3-5 cm. f w h o r l s of very stout, broad-based
black-lipped claws; leaflets very numerous, equidistant, alternate or sub-opposite,
4 - 6 cm. apart, elongate-ensiform, acuminate, 50-70 em. long, 3'5-3'6 cm. hroad,
aubcoucolorouB on both surfaces, 3-oostulate, with the mid-costa rather strong, naked
or sparingly bristly above, while the side costae which are slender are more or
less furnished with long bristles; below the mid-costa is furnished with long bristles
and the side costae ate very slender, naked or furnished with bristles, smaller than
above; transverac veinlets inconspicuous; margins slightly thickened by a secondary
Akîi. Roy. Bot. (taed. CALcuirA Toi. S I.