4 2 4 A:JNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTAIS-IO GARDEN, CAIOUTTA. [(J, enoaoanthus^
Very distinct by its scabdd sheaths and spathes, the epetiolate leaves and the small
cii-cinnate-seorpioid spikelets.
PLATE 186.—Calamus asperrimus Bl. The summit of a plant with a cirriferous
l e a f ; a non-cirriferous leaf with its sheath from the lower part of the same plant; the
ummit of a male spadis.—From a specimen cultivated at Buitenzorg in Herb. Becc.
1 5 7 . CALAMUS EEIOACANTHUS Becc.
Bot. Surv. I n d . ii, 213.
Nelle Forosto di Borneo, 610 and
DESCEIPTIOIJ.—Slender, scandenfc. Sheathed stem 7-12 mm. in diam.
gibbous above, rusty-furfuraceous, at first rather densely covered with rather short and
broad spines, of which the largest about 1 cm. long, slightly deflexed, broad, lightcoloured
and convex above and concave beneath at their base, their point greenish and
copiously fringed-furfuraceous at the margins ; f u r t h e r the sheaths are more or less
marked with small transverse inteiTuptod raised ridges, which ai'e also more or less
f r i n g e d on their crest. Oarea very elongate, fibrous-retiform, in one specimen 13 cm.
long, ultimately quite deciduous. Leaf-sheath Jlagclla very rudimentary, 3-5-5 cm.
long, very slender. Leaves cirriferous, 40-70 cm. long in the pinniferous p a r t ; the
c i r r u s about as long as the pinniferous part in the leaves of the upper part of the
plant, slender, closely but rather irregularly armed with solitary or more or less
aggregate not very large claws ; petiole rather short, 6-14 cm. long, slightly channelled
or flattish above, 8.cuto and smooth at the margins, rounded beneath, wliere very
s p a r i n g l y and sparsely p r i c k l y ; rachis irregularly armed beneath with solitary, small,
scattered claws, which become more or less aggregate only near the base of the cirrus,
a c u t e l y bifaced and smooth a b a v e ; leaflets v e r y few, 13-14 in all, very inequidistant,
grouped in 4 remote fascicles; usually approximate in pairs on each side, the pairs
opposite, thinly papyraceous, rather firm, 18-25 cm. long, 2-5-5 cm, broad, the
i n t e r m e d i a t e ones slightly the largest, green and subconcolorous on both surfaces,
shining above, opaque beneath, lanceolate or oblanceolate, almost flat or very slightly
concavo-convex, usually broadest above the middle, suddenly contracted near the
summit into a short acuminate bristly tip, gradually narrowed towards the base,
r a t h e r acutely 3-costulate and with other slender but rather distinct secondary nerves
i n t e r p o s e d ; the mid-costa not stronger than side ones; all nerves smooth on both
s u r f a c e s ; transverse veinlets fine and rather approximate; margins quite smooth.
HABITAT.—Borneo in Sarawak on Mt. Mattang {Beccari P. B. Nos. 1919 and
1934). Malay name in Sarawak " R o t a n g Baroh."
OBSERVATIONS.—I have collected two sterile specimens of this, which seems related
t o G. optimus. One of the specimens. No. 1934, is more robust than the otlier, its
sheathed stem is 12 mm. in diam. and the largest of its leaflets are 25 cm. long
a n d 5 cm. broad ; in the other the leaf-sheathg :
! 13 cm. long, 3 cm. broad.
diam. and the
T h i s also keeps its green colour in herbarium specimens.
C. optimusi] BECCAEI. MONOaUAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMTJS. 425-
PLATE 187.—Calamus erioacanthus Becc.—k\i intermediate portion of a sheathed
s t em with an entire leaf.—From P. B. No. 1934.
158. CALAMUS orriMUS Becc. Nolle Foresto di Borneo, ülO, and in Ree. Bot.
Surv. I n d . ii, 211.
DESCRIPTION.'—Slender, high scandent, glabrescont in every part. Sheathed stem
12-15 mm. in diam. Leaf-sheaths gibbous above, armed with large, solitary, scattered,
deflexed, laminar, robust, almost claw-shaped spines, of which the largest 2"5 cm.
i n length, and with a very broad, deeply undorneath excavate and above tumescent
base. Leaves cirriferous, comparatively short, 70-80 cm. long in the pinniferous
portion ; the cirrus itself sometimes even a metra in length, armed at very regular
and gradually shorter intervals with half-whorls of rather robust light-based and
black-tippcd claws; petiole rather short (6-12 cm. long), broadly channelled
above, rounded beneath, where armed along the middle and noar the margins
•n'ith a few strong scattered claws ; rachis in the pinniferous part bifaced above,
s t r o n g l y armed beneath hke the terminal cirrus ; leaflets v e r y few, 6 - 8 in nil, solitary
and veli| distaut on each side, lower ones subopposite, oblanceolate or oblonglanceolate
or sub-spathulate, somewhat concavo-convex, green above, whitish or very
s p a r i n g l y mealy beneath especially in young leaves, with 4-6 aouto rather slender
costae, which are naked on both surfaces, long and gradually narrowed towards the
base, very suddenly contracted at the summit into a short triangular, laterally
bristly-spinulous t i p ; transverse veinlets very slender, excessively numerous, very closo
together and very continuous, especially sharp in the upper surface, but visible also
u n d e r n e a t h ; margins apprcssedly and remotely spinulous, the lower one bordered
on the upper side with a polished band, a few others usually occur also
in the middle of the blade; the largest leaflets, the intermediate, 32-35 cm. long
and 5-Ö-6 cm. broad, the upper and lower ones slightly smaller. In one specimen
a radical leaf is very large with a petiole 1-2 m. in length, terete and armed in
i t s lower portion with long, strong and horizontal spines, and only with a large
terminal flabellum which is 85 cm. long, parted from a little above the base into
two oblong lobes; these 12-13 C2i^. broad and with 7 robust and acute costae.
ILVBITAT.—Borneo at Kuching near Sarawak, Bcceari P. B. Nos. 1907 and 1917.
Malay name in Sarawak " Hotang Segah " and " K. Buluch."
OBSERVATIONS.—A very near ally of C. ccesius, but distinct by the sheaths armed
w i t h much larger spines, by the longer petioles and chiefly by the leaflets solitary,
v e r y distant, not geminate on each side of the rachis and not d i s t i n c t l y covered with
a mealy glaucous crustaceous indumentum. The canes slende)-, very tough and
elastic, with a yellow glossy vitreous surface, are very much esteemed in commerce.
I n Sarawak it is considered as the best Rotang produced in the country, where
however it is now becoming scarce.
PLATE 188.—Calamus optimus Portion of a sheathed tem,—(from
P. B. No. 1917); an entire leaf with the upper portion of its sheath; from
P . B. No. 1907.
ANN. ROY, BOT. GARD , CALCUTTA VOL. X I.