3 8 6 ANNALS OF THE BOTAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. ONDAMANICUS.
nerve and ratber distantly bristly-ciliate. HI ah spadtz large, shorter than the
leaves, in one specimen 1'25 m. long, panicled, rather dense, with not veiy
numerous approximate partial inflorescences; primary spafches rather short, 8-10 cm.
long in the exposed part, tubular, slightly enlarged above, closely sheathing, the
lower ones slightly compressed, the upper ones more cylindraceous, thinly >
often longitudinally split but not lacerated, more or less sparsely armed
on the back) with short small solitary or confluent prickloa, obliquely truncate,
entire and naked at the mouth and prolooged at one side into a dorsally keeled
triangular acute point; partial inflorescences inserted at. the bottom of their own
Bpathe with a long pedicelliform part; the lower ones, the largest, up to 80 cm.
long with 7-8 gradually diminishing secondary inflorescences on each side: secondary
spathes tubular cylindraceous, slightly infundibuliform, unarmed, almost horizontally
truncate, shortly apiculate at one side, glabrous, thinly coriaceous, entire or longitudinally
split but not lacerated; secondary inflorescences ascendent, stalked and
inserted inside their own spathe; the lower ones, the largest, 15-20 cm. long with
15-20 spikelets on each side; tertiary spathos tubular-infundibuliform, acute at one
side; spikelets inserted at the bottom of their own spathe, with a distinct flattened
pedicel; the lower ones, the largest, 20-25 mm. long, often arched, with 15-20 very
crowded bifarious flowers on each side; spathels very closely packed, concave
subcymbiforui with a round obtuse or apiculate point; involucre shorter than the
spathels, cupular, deep, entire truncate, two-keeled on the side next to the axis.
Male flowers small, 3 mm. long, obovoid, rather obtuse, furfuraceous at the summit
like the spathels; the calyx campanulate, slightly narrowed to the base, finely
inconspicuously striately veined, divided down almost to the middle into 3 broad
and at the summit rounded lobes; the segments of the corolla one-third longer than
the calyx, concave, lanceolate, externally opaque. Female spadix simply decompound,
panicled, shorter than the leaves, not flagellifcrous at its summit, in one specimen
about 1 m. long with many approximate partial • inflorescences; primary spathes as
in the male spadix, but much more densely armed with short subseriate reversed
prickles, the lower ones slightly differing from the others; partial inflorescences
stalked as in the male spadix, the lower ones, the largest, 50-60 cm. long with
8 - 1 1 distichous spikelets on each side; secondary spathes as in the male spadix,
but sometimes very sparingly prickly, ultimately decayed in their upper part, but not
lacerated; spikelets attached to the bottom of their own spathe and stalked, spreading,
slightly arched, the lower ones, the largest, 10-15 cm. long, the upper ones somewhat
shorter; spathels shortly infundibuliform, horizontally truncate and entire at
the mouth, obtuse and not or very slightly prolonged on the exterior side ;
involucrophorum ealyciform, inserted at the bottom of its own spathel, narrowed
to the base and therefore subpedicellato, acutely two-keeled on the side next to
the axis; involucre cupular, exceeding the involucrophorum, ii-regularly cupular and
unilaterally evolute; areola of the neuter flower elliptic, concave, sharply bordered.
female Jloioem about 6 mm. long, the calyx dusty-furfuraceous, divided into 3 ovate
lobes ; the segments of the corolla ovate-lanceolate, acute externally, opaque, finely
striate and about as long as the calyx; filaments of the stamens very broad,
connate by their base, very suddenly apiculate; abortive anthers small. FruUing
perianth not forming a pedicel and split under the fruit. Fruit ovoid-elliptic or
slightly obovoid, conically beaked and acute at the apex, about 18 mm. long and
C. ZoUingerii.'] BECCAEI. MONOGRAPH OP THE GENUS CALAMUS, 387
10-11 mm. broad (when quite ripe); scales in 15 series, shining, somewhat convex,
not channelled along the middle, brownish-straw-coloured with a darker semicircular
transverse band at the base of the point; this elongate triangular, opaque, scarious,
leddish-brown, finely erosely fringed. Seed ovoid, rounded at both ends, convex,
coarsely and sinuously grooved on the back, fiattish on the raphal side, with a
circular and very superficial chalazal fovea; albumen equable; embryo basal.
The different parts of the spadix, the spikelets and flowers and even the
leaflets have a cinnamon-brown colour when dry.
HABITAT.—Common in the forests of the Andaman and Nicobor Islaud.s. Kurz
gives the Andamanese name of "Chowdah" and Man that of "Chtirab" in the
Andamans and " M t " in the Nicobars. The radical (not cirriferous) leaves are
employed, according to Man, for thatching, and then the plant receives the name
of "Ilok-Neak."
0BSERVATTONS.—This is the Calamti^ with the largest stem of those known to me;
it approaches in many characters to C. ovoideus, but it is easily distinguishable by
the fruit-scales which have a very conspicuous elongato and scarious point, in the
not fully-grown fruit only the brown and dull points of the scales are visible and
their yeUow posticous glossy part remains covered. In my enumeration of the
species of Calamus (Records of the Bot. Surv. of India, ii, 211), 1 have mentioned
a var. nicoharicus, having found remarkable differences in the armature of the
leaf-sheaths between my specimen and Kurz'a plate xxviii ; but apparently this plate
represents the base of the stem of a young plant where, besides the small seriate
spiculae, there are also longer and larger pectinate spines; while in my specimen of
the upper part of a fertile plant, represented in plate 164, this last kind of spine
is wanting. The radical leaves and those of the lower part of the plant are not
cirriferous.
PLATE 163.—Calamus andamanicus Ktirz. Partial inflorescence (on the left side)
with almost mature fruit (specimen from the Andamans forwarded by Mr. Man with
the name of "ChiLrab"); portion of a leaf from above its middle (imder surface)
belonging to the specimen mentioned above; male partial inflorescence (from the
Nicobars forwarded by Mr. Man with the name of " N a t " ) ; portion of the naked
stem also from the Nicobars by Mv, Man with the name of " N a t " ; fruits and
seeds from the inflorescence mentioned above.
PLATB 164.—Calamus andamanicus Eurz. Summit of a fruit spadix (specimen
from the Nicobars collected by Mr. Man); portion of a leaf (upper surface) from
near its base, specimen from the Nicobars, forwarded by Mr. Man with the name
of "Ok-heak"; portion of the sheathed stem from a very robust and adult plant;
these were also sent from the Nicobars by Mr. Man with the name of " C h a r a b ".
139. CALAMUS ZOLLINGERII Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 199.
DKSCRIPTION.—Scandent, very large and robust. Sheathed stem as thick as a
man's arm. Leaf-sheaths (not flagelliferous ?) almost woody, strongly armed with
stout flat, very unequal, light-based brown-tipped, very short or 5-6 cm. long,
solitary or iiTegularly obliquely seriate spines. Leaves veiy large, cirriferous (the
ANN. BOY. BOX. GAKD. CALCOITA YOL. XI.