4 0 2 AKKALS OF THE KOYAL BOTANIC GA-RDEN, CALCtTTTA. [{7. p a l u s t f l 's
base and numerous large spikelets upwards; secondary spathes tubular, elongateinfundibiiliform,
closely sheathing, narrowed to the base, where flat on the inner side
and -with very acute miirgins, more or less prickly, chiefly in their upper part,
obliquely truncate at the mouth, where prolonged at one side into a triangular more
or less decayed point, the lower ones, the largest, 3-4 cm. long, the upper ones
g r a d u a l l y shorter; tertiary spathes shorter and more distinctly iiifundibuliform tiian
t h e secondary ones, unai-mcd, prolonged at one side into an acute point, ciliatopaleaceous
at the m a r g i n ; spikelets patent, inserted at the mouth of their own
sputhe, not or indistinctly callous at the a x i l l a ; those of the apical portion of the
inflorescences up to 5-6 cm. long, with 18-30 very crowded bifarious flowers on each
s i d e ; those of the branchlets l-5-2'5 cm. long with fewer flowers; spathels very
closely packed, subbracteiform, concave, broadly ovate, finely striately veined and
s p r i n k l e d with brown scales, ciliate-paleaceous at the margin, apiculate at one side,
-the point subtending the flowers; involucre shorter t h a n its spathel, dimidiately cupular
or like a swallow's nest, enclosed in its own spathel and attached at the base of
t h e one above, bidentate, two-keelod and deeply luiiately excavate on the side next
to the axis. Mak flowers ovate, about 4 mm. long; the calyx deeply 3-toothed,
finely striately veined; the corolla almost twice as long as the calyx, opaque outside,
finely striately veined. FcmaU spadiz simply decompound, sljorter than the leaves,
not very diffuse; primary spaihes coriaceous, tubular, closely s h e a t h i n g ; the first
short, flattened; the upper ones cylindraceous, slightly enlarged above, 8 - 1 0 cm. long,
more or leaa armed with rather slender scattered horizontal or slightly deflexed
s t r a i g h t prickles, prolonged at the mouth into a decayed and often lacerated limb,
t h e dead part sharply defined from the living one; partial inflorescences many,
r a t h e r approximate, the lower ones, the largest, 40-60 cm. long, terminating in a
v e r y short tail-like appendix, spreading, arched, inserted very near but inside the
mouth of their own spathe, bearing 6-8 distichous spikelets on each side; secondary
epathes elongate-infundibuHform, more or less aculeolato on the back, obliquely
t r u n c a t e at the mouth and prolonged at one side into a short point and often
withered and lacerated in t h e oldest inflorescences; spikelets spreading, slightly arched,
inserted at the mouth of theiv own spathe and not distinctly callus at the axilla;
t h e lower ones, the largest, 8-10 em. long, with 12-13 distichous flowers on each side ;
t h e upper ones slightlj' shorter; spathels short infundibular-cyathiform, asymmetric,
narrowed a good deal to the base, truncate, entire, prolonged at one side into a
short acute point, ciliolate at the margin and sprinkled with brown scales; involucrophorum
shoii, subcupular, shaped like a swallow's nest, very obliquely truncate,
half exsert f r om its own spathel, adnate to the base of the one above, bidentate
and two-keeled on the side next to the axis; involucre slightly exceeding the
involucrophorum, more or less irregularly cupular, often asymmetric, excavate and
b i d e n t a t e on the side of the neuter flower, the areola of which is depressedly lunate.
Female flowers about 4 mm. long; the calyx divided down to the middle into 3
ovate-acute lobes; segments of the corolla lanceolate-acute, as long as the lobes of
t h e calyx; stamens forming by the united bases of their filaments a cup as high as
t h e third-part of the corolla and crowned by 6 broadly triangular and suddenly
subulate teeth. Fruiting perianth not distinctly pedicelliform, with the calyx split
not quite to the base. Fruit ovoid-elliptic or subobovoid, suddenly narrowed into a
flhort, conic beak, 15-18 mm. long, 10-12 mm. broad; scales in 18 series, flattish,
C. palustris- \ BECCAEI. MOIiOGEAPH OT THE GENUS CALAMUS.
v e r y superficially channelled along the middle, almost shining, dirty straw-coloured
with a reddish-brown intramarginal line which broadens near the point, this very
short scarious, triangular, obtuse and iincly erosely toothed. Seed ovoid, somewhat
flattened, rounded at both ends, 10 mm. long., 7 mm. broad, 6 mm. thick, convex
and rather deeply and irregularly pitted on the back, flattish and with an oblong
and rather deep chalazal fovea on the raphal side; albumen equable; embryo basal.
HABITAT. Griffith's type-specimcns were gathered at Pular in the Province of
Mergui on the coast of Tenasserim, where it was also collected by Sir Dietrich
Brandia in the Salween valley at 1000 met. elevation (Herb, Becc. and Calc.); in
t h e Pegu Yomah at Wakyoung, Kurs No. 1473 in H. Calc. In the Andamans it
seems a common plant, and I have seen from there numerous specimens collected by
Kurz, Liebig, by Sir G. King's collectors (Herb. Calc.) and by Mr. Man (Herb.
Becc.J; in the Nicobars, Sing's collector.
I n the Andamans it receives the name of " W a i , " and it is employed by the
natives to make knives known by the name of " W a i - c h Q " {see Man: the Andaman
I s l a n d e r s 69, 185). In Burma it is named " Y a m a t a " according to Kurz.
OBSBRVATIONS.—Griffith founded the species in the upper part of a leaf and the
summit of a male spadix—materials which I have not seen, b\it some of the
specimens at my disposal agree so well with the picture that Griffith has published
of them that I have no doubt about their bei
I consider also the Calamus which Kurz described and figured as laiifoUu», and
of which I have seen the specimen studied by him in the Calcutta Herbarium,
as undoubtedly referable to C. paluntrig.
le very complete specimens
of the Tenasserim Coast;
F r om the Andamans Mr. E. H. Man forwarded to
•which, like those of Kurz, agree pretty well with thos
their leatlets are very variable in size, some attaining 45 cm. in length and 6
cm. in width with 7-9 costae, while others are 35-37 by 7-8 cm. In one
epecimen a leaf, probably a radical one, is not cirriferous but terminates in two
broad leaflets confluent at their base.
I n the male spadix and also in the armature of the leaf-sheaths C. laiifoUus
resembles C. ornalus a good deal. As I have already observed, C. palustris is with
difficulty distinguishable from 0. laiifolius (see observations on this species).
As C. palustris is a very variable species, I subjoin a few observations about
t h e specimens f r om which I have derived the description above. .Kurz's sterile
specimen No. 1473 in H. Calc. from the Pegu Yomah evidently belongs to a very
luxuriant plant probably not yet floriferous; the petiole is 20 cm. long, quite smooth
above, 17 mm. broad, armed at the sides with robust straight spines; a leaf-sheath
is strongly gibbous above and seemingly 3 ' 5 - 4 cm. in diam; armed with very large,
somewhat deflexed, quite light-coloured spines, of which some are as much as :i cm.
long with a base 10-14 mm. broad and concave beneath; the rachis in its upper
part is obsoletely 3-gonoua and strongly armed with black-tipped half-whorled claws;
i n the cirrus the whorls of the claws are gradually more approximate aa they
AKN. EOY. BOT. GAUD. CALCUTTA VOL. X I.