i.>'NAXS OF THE BOYAL BOTAIilC GAEDEN, CALCUTTA. [(?. ccesius.
159. CALAMUS CJESIUS B1. Rumphia Hi, 57; Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, 340;
Walp. Ami. iii, 490 and v, 833; Miq. Anal. Bot. lud. i, ö and
Fi. lud. Bat. iii, 129 aod De Palmis, 28; Teysm. Cat. Hort.
Bogor. 74; H. Wendl. in Kerch. Palm. 235; Hook. f. Fl. Brit.
lud. vi, 456; Becc. in Ree. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 211.
C. glaucescem Bl. Rumpliia iii, 65 ; Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm iü, 339 ; Walp.
Ann. iii, -189 aud t , 831 ; Miq. Anal. Bot. Ind. i, ö and Fl. Ind.
Bat. iii, 129 fiud De Palmis, 27.
DESCKinios.—liatlier slender, high scandent. ISheathed stem 13-18 mm. in diam.
Lcaf-sheaiks (non-flagellüerous) very obliquely truncate at the mouth, strongly gibbous
above, the youngest marbled -with green ¡md white-mealy patches and more or less
furfuraccous, the adult ones yellowish green (when dry) more or less distinctly longitudinally
striate, armed with strong scattered, solitary, straight subulate, horizontal or
slightly deflexed, slightly cur\'ed or almost claw-shaped large spines, 1-2 cm. long
•which have a base extraordinarily broad, callous, swollen above and concave beneath;
sometimes with the larger spines near the summit of the slieath are intermingled
others smaller, tuberculiform and ascendant; in youth all are cot tony-furfur a ceo us
at the margins. Ocrea very short, reduced to a small obtuse ligula aud to a
narrow naked rim at the mouth of ibe sheath. Leaves cirriferous, the piooiferous
part fiO-80 cm. long; petiole vei-y short or almost wanting; rachis smooth above,
•where flat near the base but speedily acutely bifaced, slightly convex underneath,
•where in its lower portion armed along the middle and at the sides with
solitary scattered light-based black-tipped claws; these are 3-nate and higher
up half-whorlcd, the half-whorls very regularly set at gradually shorter intervals
on the cirras; the cirrus itself about 1 metre in length; leaflets few, 16-24
in all, very irregularly set, usually approximate ia pairs on each side, the
pairs 15-20 cm. apart, those of one side usually alteruatirig with those of the
other side or sometimes sub-opposite, more or less concavo-convex, oblong-lanceolate,
gradually tapering towards the base, which is acute, acuminate into a short
Bpinulous apex, papyraceous, rigidulous, conspicuously discolorous (chiefly in recently
es2)anded leaves), sub-shining, green and glabrous above, conspicuously mealy-glaucous
beneath, acutely 4-5-costulate with some other distinct secondary nerves interposed,
all naked on both surfaces and very faint beneath; transverse veinlets very fine, very
numerous and approximate on the upper surface, obliterate beneath; margins minutely
and closely spinulous upwards, more remotely near (he base; the lower margin
bordered on the upper surface with a distinct shining stripe, similar stripes occurring
also on the blade, chiefly near its summit; the largest leaflets, those of the middle,
30-35 cm. long, 5-6 cm. broad; the lower ones much narrower and more
distinctly callous at their insertion; the upper ones shorter but not much narrower.—
Other parts unknown.
HABITAT.—South Borneo, according to Blume, where the sterile specimens upon
which the species -was founded were collected by Ilenrici.
I have refeiTed to this species one specimen (also sterile) collected by Scortechini
in the district of Perak in the Malayan Peninsula (No. 456 in Herb. Becc.), where
C. c®s/us.] BECOAEI. MONOGEAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 427
it is callcd by the natives "Kotaug Saga Boeh" and a portion of u leaf and some
detached fruits collected in the State of Jobore by Mr. Pears, -who assigns to it the
name of ''llotang Segar" {Ridletj No. 10716 in Herb. Kew). A portion of a
fruit-spadix without leaves, apparently not differing from the above, is also preserved
in the Calcutta Herb, with the label '^Ridley No. 11382: Batu Pahat, State of
Johore: Rotang Segar." Ilennci gives the Bornean names of "Uianjang" and
"Rotang Latong," adding that its caoes are much valued by the Malays.
OBSEBVATIOSS.—1 have seen of this a portion of a leaf from the authentic
specimen described by Blume, which has afforded me the moans of recognising beyond
a doubt this species in some large sterile but otherwise complete specimens, obtained
from plants cultivated in the Buitenzorg Gardens aud kindly forwarded to me by
Dr. M. Treub. Scortechiui's specimen is also sterile, but agrees pretty well with the
type specimen of Blume. The sheathed stem of this is however more slender (10-12
mm. in diam.) than in the cultivated specimens of which I have made use for the
description above and the leaf-sheaths are armed with longer spines. Scortechini in a
note added to his specimen says that the internodes are 25-30 cm. long and the
leaflets silvery-palo beneath. C. cmiu^ is well characterised by its underneath
glaucous, remotely geminate, not numerous oblanceolate o-costulate leaflets.
I t is certainly a near ally of 0. simplex in which, however, the leaflets ai-e
not mealy-glaucous beneath.
The very incomplete specimen 'from the State of Jolioro preserved at Kew
(Ridley No. 10716 with the native name of Rotang Segar) is identical with that of
Scortechini No. 454 aud it is accompanied witli some almost mature detached fruite.
These are ellipsoid-ovoid, very suddenly narrowed into a rather long and not very
thick beak, 18 mm. long including the beak and the fruiting pedicelliform perianth,
12 mm. broad; scales in 18 longitudinal series, polished yellowish-straw-coloured,
convex, very narrowly arid deeply channelled along the middle with a small
triangular acute point aud an almost concolorous erosely toothed margin; seed ovoid,
rounded to both ends. 10-11 mm. long, 8 mm. broad, minutely pitted on the
surface, the chalazal fovea, rouud, small, not very distinct; albumen not very
ruminate; embryo lateral noar the base.
Ridley's No. 11382 of the Calcutta Herb, consists only of a partial inflorescence
65 cm. long with 6 spikelets on each side; in this specimen the secondary spathea
are tubular, very slightly enlarged in their upper part, closely sheathing, unarmed,
truncate and entire at the mouth, very shortly apiculate at one side. The spikelets
arc vermicular, rigid, inserted outside the mouth of their respective spathes with a
rather distinct axillary callus, the lower ones 10-12 cm. long, with 10-12 flowers
on each side, the upper ones shorter; the spathels are infundibuliforni, truncate and
entire, extended on the outer side into a very short and broad triangular point, the
involucropUorum is exert from its own spathel and laterally attached to the base of
the one above, very shortly cupular, bidentatc on the side next to the axis, the
involucre very shallcwly cupular, very slightly exceeding ths involucrophorum. The
fruit is as described above.
ANN. EOY. BOT. GABD., CALCUTTA VOL. X I.