4 2 8 AU>'ALS OP THE EOYAL B0TAÍÍ1C GARDEIIT, CALCOTTA. [C. SIMPLEX.
PLATE 188A.—Calamus Cffisius Bl. (Under tlie uame of Cah«ms ej)tmus Beco).
Portion- of the sheathed stem with the base of a leaf; summit of a leaf,—from
Scortechini's No. 456 in Herb. Becc.; portion of a f r u i t i n g spadix,—from Ridley's
No. 11382 iu Herb. Oalc.; detached f r u i t s and seeds, one of these cut longitiidinally
t h r o u g h the embryo,—from Ridley's No. 10716 in Herb. Kew.
PLATE 189.—Calamus ciesius Bl. Portion of a sheathed stem; portion of a leaf
f r om near its base and seen from the lower surface; the summit of a leaf from a
specimen in Herb. Becc. gathered from a plant cultivated at Buitonzorg.
160. CALAMUS SIMPLEX Becc. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind.
Reo. BOT. Surv. Ind. ii. 211.
456, and in
DESCRIPTION.—Rather slender, scan d e n t . Sheathed stem 1-2 cm. in diani. Leafsheaths
not flagelliferous, very obliquely truncate at the mouth, gibbons above, covered
at the different parts of the spadix with a crustaceous more or less permanent rustyf
u r f u r aceo us indumentum, strongly armed with unequal, elustic, laminar, lanceolate,
ehÍDÍng, yellowish or schistaceous-brown, horizontal or slightly deflexed spines, of
which the largest up to 2 coa. long, their base 5 mm. broad, slightly concave
b e n e a t h and strongly callous above. Ocrea marcescent, brittle and deciduous. Leaves
80 om. to 1-0 m. long in the pinniferous part, with very few very large leaflets,
tei-minating in a rather long but delicate cirrus, which is armed at regular intervals
w i t h rather strong gradually diminishing almost always ternato claws; petiole rather
robust, 15-20 cm. long, flat above, convex beneath, in vigorous plants 1 cm.
broad, aimed on the acute margins with a few strong horizontal spines; rachis
bifaced and smooth above, flattish beneath where armed at the sides, in its lower
portion, with a few strong claws, those temate in its upper part; leaflets very few
about 10 in all, papyraceous, rigid, solitary, very remote or with long vacant spaces
amongst them, more or less concavo-convex, sub-opposite or at great distances (even
30 cm.) alternate, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, almost equally narrowed to both
ends, acute at the base, very shortly acuminatu at the summit, greon above, slightly
paler beneath, with 5 - 6 acute costae, these quite smooth on both surfaces; transverse
veinlets not very conspicuous; margins quite smooth, the lower one often bordered
on the upper surface with a polished band, other similar bauds sometimes occurring
on the blade alongside the costae; the largest leaflets up to 60 cm. long and H) cm.
broad, in less vigorous specimens SO by 5-6-5 cm., the lower ones usually the
l a r g e s t ; the uppermost slightly shorter. Male sptcdix very simple, elongate, in one
specimen 85 cm. long with i> a l t e r n a t e spikelets in all, only the lowest of these with a
secondary spikelet at its base, otherwise simply decompound like the female spadix;
p r i m a r y spathes tubular, elongate, slightly loosely sheathing and slightly flattened
t r u n c a t e and entire at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a short triangular acutely
keeled point, sprinkled \vit)i very few scattered prickles, narrowed a good deal to\vard.s
t h e base into a slender much flattened unarmed axial portion; the lowest primary
spathe not differing from the upper ones, only more elongate and with a longer
flattened part at the base; spikelets inserted a little above the mouth of their own
spathe and slightly callous at tbeir axilla, spreading, arched, flexuous, flattened, zigzag
sinuous between the flowers, 12-13 cm. long, with l - ' i - i e rather remote flatly
C- simplex.2 BECCARL. MONOGEAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 429
bifarious flowers on each side; spathels infundibuliform, truncate, entire at tho mouth,
shortly apiculate at one side, more or loss sprinlcled with tobacco-brown scales;
involucre cupular, rather deep, laterally attached at tho base of the spathel above its
own, anticously truncate. Female sj)adii: very simple, a good deal like the male one,
but shorter, with only 2 - 3 spikelets on each aide, shorter than the leaves (40-50 cm.
long) more or less covcred with a rusty-furfuraceous indumentum, erect, quite
unarmed, or nearly so, terminating in a small flattened tail-like smooth or sparingly
spinulous appendix; primary spathes as in the male spadix, 4-6 cm. long in the
somewhat flattened sheathing part, suddenly narrowed at the base into a flattened and
unarmed axial portion; the first longer than the others, more elongate and more
flattened and two-edged in the basal p a r t ; the edges smooth or sparingly spinulous;
spikelets inserted just outside the mouth of thoir own spathe, rather thick, spreading,
arched, slightly callous at the a x i l l a ; the larger ones, the lowest, 6-7 cm. long with
f ew (5-6) flowers on each side; the two series not exactly iu one plane but slightly
assnrgent; spathels infundibuliform, truncate, somewhat irregular by the pressure of
tho flowers, acute at one s i d e ; involucrophorum very short, subcupular, laterally attached
to the base of the spathel above its own and subtended by this with a distinct
a x i l l a r y callus next to the axis; involucre cupular, short, almost entire; barely
exceeding tiie involucrophorum; areola of the neuter flower dcpressedly lunate,
somewhat irregular and tumescent. iruiting perianth pedicelliiorm, rather thick and
v e r y short or somewhat depressed; the calyx callous at tlio base, divided to about
midway down into 3 large ovate lobes; the segments of llie corolla smaller and as
l o n g as the calyx. Fruit large, about 3 cm. long and 2 cm. broad, globose-ovoid,
b r o a d l y and equally rounded at both ends, with a short caudiculum at the base and
suddenly topped by a conic, about 3 mm. long, mucro; scales in 2 i series, flattish,
slightly channelled along the middle, yellowish-brown near their base, darkening
towards the point, with a narrow, almost black, marginal line, their margins finely
erosely-toothecl, the point short, usually rather obtuse, not very adprcssed. Seed
globular, about 15 mm. in diaui., covered by a very adherent crustaceous integument,
minutely pitted and finely tubcrclcd on the s u r f a c e ; the chaiazal fovea inconspicuous,
circular, very small, situated near the summit of the raplial s i d e ; albumen very deeply
r u m i n a t e ; embryo almost basal.
HABITAT.-The Malayan Peninsula in the district of Perak on Gunong Tamhang
Batnk, dev. about 1,900 m., collccted by the Rev. Father Scortecbini (No. 432" in
Herb. Becc.)
OBSERVATIONS.—A very distinct species by its 6 and J very simple similar spadices;
t h e leaves with few very large leaflets, and the very large, globular fruit, in this
last detail being only second to C. erectus. The male specimen has a more slender
s t em and smaller leaflets than the female one. It appears related to C. ccesius
and C. opUmus.
PLATE 190.—Calamus simplex Beec. Portion of a sheathed stem with an entire
fruit-spadix and the base of a leaf; the summit of a leaf; mature f r u i t ; seed,
e n t i r e and longitudinally cut through the embryo.—From Scortecbini's type specimen
i n Herb. Becc.