18 INTEODUCTOHY ESSAY.
Spadices of tliis kiud are more or leas armed with clawa, havo the branches on
which the spikelets are borne remote from each other, and have the axial portion
interposed between two auch brandies more or less armed with claws on the outer
side. Spadices of tliis class moat usually occur in species that have non-cirriferous
leaves and flagelliferous sheaths.
The second kind of spadix is peculiar |to those species that havo cirriferous
2S, but have Icaf-sheaths which are not flagelliferous. In these species the
Bpadices are comparatively short and broad, usually shorter than the leaves, panicled
and often pyramidal with numerous approximated and gradually diminishing branches
and with a rigid axis, non«ilagellifcrous at its apex. G. palvatris and the other
species of the group to -which this belongs possess spadices of this character.
Only very few species have short and conti-acted spadices: C. Lohlianus,
C. conirostris, C. brachijstach'is are instances. 0. simplex alone has an undivided
spadix with a simple spikelet at each primary spathe.
I t may be laid down as a general rule that when a Calamus has a long
flagelliform spadix the leaves are not cirrifcrous, and in this case if the leaf-sheaths
do not bear spadices, these are replaced by long clawed flagella. On the other
hand, when the leaves are ciriiferous the leaf-sheaths are without flagella and the
spadices are panicled and comparatively short.
In Calamus the spadices are always furiiislied with a variable number of cylindric
or very rarely laminar spathes, to be explained presently at greater length: to
each spathe there is a corresponding branch or " partial inflorescence."
As a rule in the species where the spadices are flagelliform there ia no very
great dissin^ilarity between the male and the female spadix, though in almost every
case the female is less branched than the male one.
I n the female spadix a simple branch-bearing spikelet springs from each spathe,
and thus gives us a " simply branched" spadix; in the male spadix the
primary branches are divided again and again, so that we have a " supra-decompound"
spadix.
I n a few species the male spadices, like the female ones, ai-e simply decompound,
as in a. lo7igisetus, O. lepiospadix, etc. Leas often, t h e . female spadix is also
more or less partially ultra-decompound ; this I have observed in the case of
C. luridus and C. tonkinensis, where however only the basal portions of the lower
partial inflorescences are branched again. Moreover, in C. luridus I have occasionally
found sub-moncecious spadices in the form of inflorescenccs producing female
spikelots in their lower parts and male ones at their apices.
A case of moncecism is also afforded by C. nidentum^ where occasionally in
t h e female spadix near its aper a few spikelets may be composed solely of male
flowers; these are apparently fertile, but are more slender than the flowers on
exclusively male spadices. I do not, however, know any truly monojcious Calamus
with female flowers KormaUy accompanied by fertile male ones on the same spadix,
or with distinct mede and female spadices on the same plant, though Roxburgh
«mployed the specific name monoicus for the Calamus already characterised by Linnaeus
THE SPATHES. 19
as C. Roiang, which certainly is not endowed with the peculiarity. By a superficial
observer every Calamus might be supposed to be monoecious, since in the
female spadices every female flower is accompanied by another which, though sterile'^
frequently has all the appearance of being a male. P>ery Calamus has the true
fertile male flowers brought together on a aepfirate plant, and only very exceptionally
some male spikelets may be found on a female spadix ; all Calami are therefore
essentially dioecious and every plant produces only spadices of one sex.
1 have never chanced to find on the male spadix any trace of female flowers.
Tlie appendages, more or less obviously of foliar nature, which clothe the axial
parta of tlie spadices, are called "spathes." Those spathes that are inserted on the
main axis and are visible even before the partial inflorescences emerge from them
a r e the " p r i m a r y spathes." The spathes of the inflorescence are termed " s e c o n d a r y"
or " t e r t i a ry " according to the degree of division of the axial part on which they
are inserted.
XII.—The Spathes.
Most commonly the spathes of Calami are tubular, do not completely envelope
t h e flowers, and form superposed tubular sheaths to the axial part of the spadix,
"When the spadix ia very young the primary si)athes are enclosed one within the
other, and gradually diminish in size from its base to its apex.
I n a. few species of the group to which C, plaiyspathua belongs, the primary
spathes approach those of a Daemonorops, being at first tuljular and completely enclosing
the partial inflorescences with their flowers, but at flowering time bursting
longitudinally so as to expand their limb into an elongated flat laminar blade with
only a small tubular portion at its base ; the partial inflorescences are then at
liberty to expand their flower—bearing branches. Spathes of this kind somewhat
resemble those of Daemonorops lovgispathus with this difference that those of the
Calamus just mentioned give greater evidence of their origin from a tubular pattern.
The most aberrant primary spathes among Calami are those of C. ht/pnUucus,
•which are cymbiform and resemble those of a Daemonorops of the section Cymlospaiha.
All spathes of typical Calami of the flagelliferous groups are much elongated
while those species that have broad and short panicled spadices have shorter apathes:
in both eases, however, they are always tubular and most commonly strictly and
closely sheathing ; less frequently the primary spathes, though tubular, are loose,
enlarged in their upper part or earshapod. The primary and to a less marked
degree the secondary spathes are of a rather firm structure, more or less thinly
coriaceous or even almost woody ; very commonly entire and truncate at the mouth
and prolonged at the apex into a short limb; not infrequently their upper portion
becomes decayed or, as in C. erectusy even lacerated and reduced to filaments.
The mouth of the spathes is often provided with cilia, elongated scales or
paleolec which are of a more or less fugacious character.
The length of the primary spathes usually corresponds to the distance intervening
between two partial inflorescences ; similarly the length of the secondary spathes
corresponds to the distance intervening between the insertion of the spikeleta in the
simply dccompound spadices or of the secondary branches in those that are ultm
Ann. Eoy. Box. GARn. Calcutta Yoi.. XI.