414 ANNALS OP THK ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCRUTTA. [C. axillaris.
and of the nmcro, comparatively large, broader than long (7 mm. in width), very
thin, rather deeply channelled along tlio middle, shining, straw-coloured with paler
scarious eroscly toothed, and towards the obtuse point reddish-brown margin. Seeds
3, or 1 perfectly evolute and 2 abortive, 11-13 mm. in length; when 3 convex on
the back witii an obtuse angle dividing 2 flat face^ on the inner or axial side,
covered by the very adherent crustaceous integument; the testa smooth, spadiceous,
not pitted nor tuhereled; chalazal fovea very minute, punctiform, in the centre of
the convex side; albumen equable; onibryo basal.
HABITAT.—The Philiopino Islands; at JIanila, GaitdichauS, voyage of the "Bonite",
Dec. 1836.
OBSERVATIONS.—I have seen of this only two perfectly similar spikelots, with a
few mature fruits still attached, these partly bruised, the scaly pei-icnvp being very
thhi and fragile. One of the spikelots is preserved in Delessert's Herbarium at
Geneva, and has a small portion of the upper part of a secondary spathe, the other,
certainly oi the same gathering as the above, is in the Paris Herbarium with the
label: "Quital: Rotiu h. fruits blancs ¿cailleux." With such scanty material it is
difficult to point out the affinities of this species. It is, however, closely related to
0. trispermus but distinct from it by its fragile larger round fruit.
PLATE 226 I, Fig. 1.—Calamus manillensis E. Wendl. Spikelet with mature fi'uit;
fig. 2, one of the 3 seeds contained in a fruit as seen from the inner side; fig. 3,
the same seed from the external side; fig. 4, the same seed longitudinally cut through
the embryo and the chalazal fovea.
151. CALAMUS AXILLARIS Becc. in Hook. fil. Fl. Brit. Ind.
Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 211.
456, and in Ree.
DESCRIPTION.—Scandent. Sheathed stem 2 cm. in diam. not fiagelliferous, gibbous
above, irregularly armed with horizontal or slightly doflcxed, broad-based, short, rigid,
brown-tipped spines, of which the largest 1 cm. long, and the sn.allest reduced to a
spinesuent tubercle, their base concave beneath and tumescent above. Leaves rather
large, terminating in a rather long slender cirrus; this densely armed with halfwhoried
small claws; petiole almost obsolc;to; rachis in its pinniferous part about 1
metre in length, flat above in its basal portion, then convex and upwards irregularly
bifaced with a not very acute salient angle; roundish and naked beneath in the
basal portion and armed upwards with at first solitary and then ternate claws;
leaflets not very numerous (in one specimen 36 in allj, inequidistant but not distinctly
fascicled, often geminate on each side towards the summit, subregularly alternate near
the base, rigidulous, papyraceous, narrowly lanceolatc or suhensiform, subconcolorous
and subs'hining on both surfaces, almost equally narrowed to both ends, acute at
the base, acuminate into a slightly spinulous tip, 3- or sub-5-costulate, the mid-costa
acute, and though slender stronger than the others, all quite naked on both surfaces;
transverse veinlets much interrupted, not very conspicuous, indistinctly spinulous;
largest leaflets, those of the lower third part, up to 32 cm. long and 2 cm. broad;
the upper ones a good deal shorter but slightly larger, many of those near the
base long and very narrow, more distinctly callous at their axilla than the upper
C. axiHaris.'] BECCAEI. MO>'OGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAÌIUJÌ. 415
ones, Male sfadij; apparently axillary, in one specimen 1'4 m. long, slender, almost
entirely unarmed, projecling erect from the axilla of a leaf, nodding upwards,
partially supradecompound with a few partial inflorescences, not flagelliforous at the
summit and terminating in a spikelet ; primary spathes more or less fugaciously
Bcaly-furfuraceous, finely longitudinally striate, the first tubular, closely sheathing,
strongly flattened, ancipitous, the edges acute, almost unarmed, the following also
somewhat flattened : the upper ones more cylindracoous, slightly enlarged and somewhat
loosely sheathing in their upper part, suddenly narrowed at the base into a
strongly flattened unarmed axial portion, smooth or with a straggling prickle near
the summit, obliquely truncate, entire and naked at the mouth and prolonged at
one aide into a triangular acute or .shortly acuminate point ; partial inflorescences
12-20 cm. apart one from tho other, ascendent, attached outside tlim- respective
spathes, the lower ones 2 cm. long, branched at the base, the othei-8 gradually
smaller, those near the summit with 3-4 spikelets only ; the upper spathes much
reduced in length and with simple spikelets, similar to those of the partial inflorescences
; secondary spathes elongate-infundibuliform, narrow and angular at the base,
enlarged and loosely sheathing in their upper part, truncate, entire and ciliolate at
the mouth and fugaciously scaly-furfuraceous ; the simple spikelets cm. long,
inserted at the mouth of their own spathe, not callous at th^ir insertion, ascendent
and strongly arched-subscorpioid, with 6-12 flowers 011 each side, not always exactly
flat or on one plane, the two series being slightly assurgent ; spathels short, close
together, bracteiform, unilaterally evolute, concave, broadly ovate, apiculate a good
deal longer than the involucre and subtending their respective flower, strongly veined,
ciliate-paleaccous at the margin ; involucre dimidiately cupular or like a swallow's
nest, flat, two-keeled and acutely bidcntate on the side next to the axis, the margin
ciliate like the spathels. Male ihwers when not quite full-grown ovate ; the calyx
deeply 3-toothod, striately veined. Fniit unknown.
HABITAT.—The Malayan Peninsula; in the district of Perak, Scoricckini.
OBSERVATIONS.—I have seen of this only one specimen of the upper part of
the plant with two leaf-sheaths, an entire leaf and a male spadix; this not
inserted as usual laterally near tho mouth of a spathe but lower down towards
its base; owing to this the base of the spadix is covered by the sheath immediately
below its own and emerges from the mouth of it at the axilla of the petiole.
Tho structure of the male spadix brings C. axillaris near to the species of ihe
group of C. inermis or to those of the group of C. palusiris, but more probably to
those of the first and especially to C. simplex; it differs, however, from it not only
in the curious character of the insertion of the spadix, hut also in the shortly
pctiolod leaves with rather numerous inequidistant not coupled, narrowly lanceolate
green, concolorous, sub-6-costulatc, naked leaflets.
In no other Calamus known to me is the insertion of tlie spadix so far remote
from the summit of the sheath which produces it.
PLATE 181.—Calamus axillaris Becc. Portion of the sheathed stem with an entire
male spadix; basal portion of a leaf (under surface); the summit of a leaf (upper
surface).—From Scortechini's specimen in Herb. Becc.