3 9 2 ANLFALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC G-ABDEN. CAXOUTTA. [C. MERRHIH
rouud usually obtuse point; involucre shorter thau the spathels, cupular, deeply
b i d e n t a t e , two-keeled and with the margin lunately excavate on the side next to theaxis.
Male ßowers Female spadix
HABITAT.—The Philippines at Bosoboso, prov. of Rizal in Luzon, (Merrill. No. 1893
i n Horb. Berol., collected April 1903 : specimens with male spadices but without a
single flower left upon them). I consider also as very probably belonging to 0.
Merrillii, Loher's No. 1361 in Herb. Kew, collected in Central Luzon and consisting
only of a partial inflorescence with mature fruit.
OBSEBVATIONS.—Í7. Merrillii seems very closely related to C. Zollingerii, and the leaves
a n d the male spadix of the two are hardly distinguishable. 0. Zollingerii, however,
has the leaf-sheaths armed with long i-obust spines, while thoso of C. Merrillii are
covered with small more or less confluent spiculae. C. Merrillii in the leaves and in
t h e male spadix is also very similar to Ü. andamanicus, and the leaf-sheaths of both
a r e armed with spiculae but these in the first are arranged in short series, while the
series are long and continuous in the second. The fruit of C, Merrillii is, however,
v e r y probably quite different f r om that of C. andamanious, while it secjis similar
to that of C. Zolhngerii; and indeed I consider as belonging to C. Merrillii a partial
inflorescence of a f r u i t i n g spadix of a Calamus collected by Loher in Central Luzon
(No. 1361 in Herb. Kew.), and the reason of this belief of mine rests on the great
resemblance of this fruit spadix to that of C. ZolUngerii, while in the male spadix
and in the leaves of both spucies this resemblance is so gi-eat that it is hardly
possible to discover any appreciable difference. The following is the description of
Loher's specimen : Partial inßorescsnce 42 cm. long with 11 spikelets on each side
and t e r m i n a t i n g in a very short unarmed tail-like appendix; secondary spathes infundibaliform,
short, truncate, smooth or occasionally with a very small prickle here and
t h e r e ; spikelets thick with a distinct pedicellaiy part arising from the bottom of
their respectivo spathe; spathels very approximate, very shortly and broadly infundib
n l i f o r m ; involucrophorum unilaterally subinfundibuliform inserted to the bottom of
i t s own spathel, two-keeled and with the margin excavate on the side next to the
axis ; involucre cupular, t r u n c a t e ; areola of the neuter flower very distinct, sharply
bordered. FriiiUng perianth split down to the base into 6 almost equal parts
and subtended by the subpedicelliform involucrophorum. Fridt sphaeric, obtusely
mucronate-mammiilate, 11-12 mm. in diam. ; scales in 21 series narrowly channelled
along the middle, light greenish-brown with a narrow paler margin and an obtuse
inconspicuously fringed brown tip. Seed with even surface, convex on the back,
slightly flattened on the rapbal side without a distinct chalazal fovea; albumen
equable b o n y ; embryo basal, slightly on one side.
PLATE 167.—Calamus Merrillii Becc. Leaf-sheath; portion of a leaf (upper
surface) not very far above its base; portion of a male spadix (the above from
Merrill's No. 1893 in the Herb, at Berlin. Spikelet with mature f r u i t ; seed from
dorsal and rapbal side; one seed longitudinally cut through the embryo in two
h a l v e s ; from Loher's No. 1361 in Herb. Kew.
.C. aquatilis.'] BECCAEI. MONOG-KAPH OT? THE GENTJ3 CAIAMÜS. 393:
141. CALAMUS AQUATILIS Ridley in Journ. Roy. As. Soc. Straits Branch, No. 41
(1903), 43.
DESCRIPTION.—Scandent and of moderate size. Stem Leaf-sheaths
Leaves cirriferous, large, about 2 m. long in the pinniferous portion,
t h e cirrus about one m. long, powerfully armed with -j-whorls of 6 very acute
v e r y highly connate black-tipped claws; petiole ; rachis in its first
portion flattish and rather strongly prickly above with rather broad side-faces where
a r e inserted the leaflets, smooth and bifaced upwards, in| the lower surface roundish,
naked near the base, then armed with solitary remote rather strong and higher
u p geminate or tórnate, rather strong and finally where passing into the cirrus,
half-whorled claws; leaflets very numerous, equidistant, 2-5-4 cm. apart, the largest,
those a httle above the base, 30-33 cm. long, 18 mm. broad, the upper ones
g r a d u a l l y shorter but not narrower (except those near the base of the cirrus),
narrowly ensiform, somewhat narrowed at the base where strongly plicate and not
callous at the axilla, inserted at an angle of about 45°, gradually acuminato into a
subulate very slender and at tbe sides bristly-spinulous filamentous tip, papyraceous,
rigidulous, brown when dry, rather opaque in the upper surface, where the niid-costa
is very slender, barely raised and naked and the side nerves are excessively slender
and numerous so as to give to that surface a finely striate appearance; tho lower
sm'face is distinctly paler than the upper one, sprinkled with very small rusty scales
and furnished with small bristly spinules along the very superficial mid-costa and
on one and sometimes two nerves on each side of this. Male spadix large
supradecompound (not seen entire by me) ; primary spiithes rather short (8-10 cm.
long) tubular, subcyliudraceous slightly enlarged above, very closely shcatliing, concavo
at the base on the inner side and with acute margins there, truncate and entire at
t h e mouth where prolonged at one side into au elongate triangular dorsally keeled
point, rather densely armed in theii' upper part with small black-tipped reversed
spines which are simple, or more often 3-fid or subpectinate ; partial inflorescences
r a t h e r large, loosely paniculate, 40-60 cm. long, broad at the base and gradually
narrowing towards the summit where they terminate in a very short unarmed
caudiculum with 7 - 8 branchlets or compound spikes near their base and 3-4 simple
spikelets upward on each side; secondary spathes tubular, cylindraconus, barely larger
i n their upper part, closely sheathing, entire, unarmed, truncate at the mouth,
prolonged at one side into a triangular elongate point; the branchlets attached
i n s i d e to the bottom of their respective apatlie with a distinct slender pedicel, tho
lower ones tho largest, ]3-15 cm. loug, somewhat flexuose with numerous (even 20)
spikelets on each side; tertiary spathes i n f u n d i b u l i f o rm t r u n c a t e ; spikelets very short
(10-15 mm. long) attached inside to tho bottom of their respective spathes with a
distinct pedicellar part, complanate, with 8-10 very closely set and perfectly flatly
bifarious flowers on each side; spathels bracteiform very closely packed, broad,
concave, strongly striately veined, acute at one side; involucre dimidiately cupular
l i k e a swallow's nest, obliquely truncate, acutely bidentate and acutely keeled with
t h e margin deeply excavate on the side next to the axis. Male flowers subtended
by tho spathels with the calyx strongly striately veined. Female spadix broadly
panicled, simply decompound, with numerous distichous partial inflorescences, which
a r o inserted with a peduncular part inside to the bottom of their respective ;
ABK. EOV. B o r . GARD. CALCTIIA YOL. X I.